Books for TV Lovers
If you need to take a break from your television viewing habit, what better option than to read a book about your favorite past time? Here’s a selection of books to keep you “in the know”:The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 Present (Tim Brooks) is considered a “must have” book for TV viewers in the new millenniumthe entire history of primetime programs in one convenient volume (up to its publication date of 2007). It’s a guide you’ll turn to again and again for information on every series ever telecast. There are entries for all the great shows, from evergreens like The Honeymooners, All in the Family, and Happy Days to modern classics like 24, The Office, and Desperate Housewives; all the gripping sci-fi series, from Captain Video and the new Battle Star Galactica to all versions of Star Trek; the popular serials, from Peyton Place and Dallas to Dawson’s Creek and Ugly Betty; the reality show phenomena American Idol, Survivor, and The Amazing Race; and the hits on cable, including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Top Chef, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Project Runway, and SpongeBob SquarePants. This comprehensive guide lists every program alphabetically and includes a complete broadcast history, cast, and engaging plot summaryalong with exciting behind-the-scenes stories about the shows and the stars.I Heart TV: Your Ultimate Companion to 100 Essential Shows (Editors of TV Guide Magazine) is a special collection of essays, the editors and writers of TV Guide present their 100 favorite shows. Ranging from the iconic shows of yesterday, such as I Love Lucy and All in the Family, to current hits like Lost, the book represents every genre from dramas and sitcoms to reality TV shows and even news programs. Each show is given an explanation of what makes it so special, both on a national scale and on a personal level, and features vital data such asseason datesand key cast members. Entertaining sidebars, including “Classic Close-up” (very special episodes), “Preview Review” (what the magazine said when the show first premiered), “Jump the Shark” (the show’s death throes), and “Did You Know?,” add additional details. Both a viewer’s companion and a celebration of one of America’s favorite magazines, I Heart TV is a must-have reference for every TV fan.Prime Time, Prime Movers: From I Love Lucy to L.A. Law America’s Greatest TV Shows and the People Who Created Them (David Marc and Robert J. Thompson) is an entertaining guide to the creative and medium-shaping personalities who are responsible for the television we watch explores the most important figures in television, their works, and their impact. Reviewers of the book comment that it is an “excellent source” for media history.The Money Shot: Trash, Class, and the Making of TV Talk Shows (Laura Grindstaff) traces the career of the money shot, examining how producers make stars and experts out of ordinary people, in the process reproducing old forms of cultural hierarchy and class inequality even while seeming to challenge them. She argues that the daytime talk show does give voice to people normally excluded from the media spotlight, but it lets them speak only in certain ways and under certain rules and conditions. Working to understand the genre from the inside rather than pass judgment on it from the outside, Grindstaff asks not just what talk shows can tell us about mass media, but also what they reveal about American culture more generally.