Explores how nostalgia operates in contemporary US film and television.Bringing together prominent transatlantic film and media scholars Was It Yesterday explores the impact of nostalgia in twentyfirst century American film and television. Cultural nostalgia in both real and imagined forms is dominant today but what does the concentration on bringing back the past mean for an understanding of our cultural moment and what are the consequences for viewers This book questions the nature of this nostalgic phenomenon the politics associated with it and the significance of the different periods in addition to offering counterarguments that see nostalgia as prevalent throughout film and television history. Considering such films and television shows as La La Land Westworld Stranger Things and American Hustle the contributors demonstrate how audiences have spent more time over the last decade living in various pasts.