Talk about a book sneaking up on me! I thought TV (THE
BOOK) would certainly be interesting: the idea was mostly
that I would read rather carefully the top 10, search for
my favorite shows, read a bit here and there, and read
more later on. Ha! I did have a look at the first 10
shows, and then just continued reading until I was done,
and not even out of order!
As the authors point out, one must not confuse
"favorite" with "best", which are not necessarily the
same. Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz devised a rather
scientific method for their rankings, and apart from the
top three shows, which necessitated a bit of debate and
discussions on their part, their choices are pretty much
clear cut. Some of the shows considered masterpieces, and
some of my "favorites" are not included for the obvious
reason that they are not American, and I must agree with
the authors' decision here: since they have seen
everything they mention, they couldn't have possibly have
watched every top ranking show from every country that
might have entries.
TV (THE BOOK) is exceptionally well written, and very
comprehensive. The authors clearly state what made them
choose each program, what worked, what didn't, and I
particularly appreciated that they also added interesting
tidbits I had never heard before, such as the technical
advances that were made in connection to particular
programs, such as with THE LUCY SHOW. I also
very much appreciated their ideal or remaining impartial
in one particular case. There were some shows I had never
watched before, but now I know that I will give some a
try in the future. I liked how the authors remained
objective throughout; I never felt forced to think
differently about this or that show because they thought
otherwise. Some high ranking shows, I had never seen for
personal reasons, and while they laud the programs, I
haven't changed my opinion. I read, agreed or disagreed,
but never felt belittled because my opinion differed, and
that is important to me.
It might be a detail, but I would have liked that each
entry be individually numbered: the entries are listed,
and not 11-50, for example. After a few, I couldn't
remember where I was; all the information about the
program is clearly mentioned but no the entry number, and
as some entries are rather long, I forgot where I was.
There are also some entertaining odds and ends, such as
"Best Mustaches", "Ridiculous Names", as well as after
the 100 shows, there are the best mini-series, TV movies,
and live plays, and programs that are still running. Also
included are an Index and an Appendix, which explains in
detail how the individual shows fared in each category
towards their ranking. The appendix is terrific, however
if a reader has the choice, I would suggest getting the
print version, as it the print is very small in the
digital version, and difficult to read. TV (THE BOOK) was
even more entertaining that I expected, due to the vast
knowledge of the authors, but also because of the
additional information they added, as well as the quality
of the writing.
Is The Wire better than Breaking Bad? Is Cheers better than Seinfeld? What's the best high school show ever made? Why did Moonlighting really fall apart? Was the Arrested Development Netflix season brilliant or terrible? For twenty years-since they shared a TV column at Tony Soprano's hometown newspaper-critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz have been debating these questions and many more, but it all ultimately boils down to this: What's the greatest TV show ever? That debate reaches an epic conclusion in TV (THE BOOK). Sepinwall and Seitz have identified and ranked the 100 greatest scripted shows in American TV history. Using a complex, obsessively all- encompassing scoring system, they've created a Pantheon of top TV shows, each accompanied by essays delving into what made these shows great. From vintage classics like The Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy to modern masterpieces like Mad Men and Friday Night Lights, from huge hits like All in the Family and ER to short-lived favorites like Firefly and Freaks and Geeks, TV (THE BOOK) will bring the triumphs of the small screen together in one amazing compendium. Sepinwall and Seitz's argument has ended. Now it's time for yours to begin!
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