Books available by our very own TVWW authors...

TELEVISION FINALES:

From Howdy Doody to Girls

Edited by Douglas Howard and David Bianculli

More than ever, series finales have become cultural touchstones that feed watercooler fodder and tweet storms. Television Finales: From Howdy Doody to Girls, the new collection edited by Douglas Howard and TVWW’s David Bianculli brings seventy chapters, each focusing on a separate show, including reliable milestones such as The Fugitive and M*A*S*H through cutting-edge favorites like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Breaking Bad. Writers include today’s leading TV critics, along with many TVWW contributors. "The last word on TV endings." —Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Magazine


THE PLATINUM AGE OF TELEVISION:

From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific

by David Bianculli

Darwin had his theory of evolution, and David Bianculli has his. Bianculli's theory has to do with the concept of quality television: what it is and, crucially, how it got that way. In tracing the evolutionary history of our progress toward a Platinum Age of Television,…he focuses on the development of the classic TV genres, among them the sitcom, the crime show, the miniseries, the soap opera, the Western, the animated series and the variety show. David Bianculli's book is the first to date to examine, in depth and in detail and with a keen critical and historical sense, including exclusive and in-depth interviews with many of the most famed auteurs in television history. Paperback now available under $13.

 

DANGEROUSLY FUNNY:

The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

by David Bianculli

CBS' controversial '60s comedy team wasn't canceled, they were fired. The untold story is revealed in this acclaimed account based on 15 years of research and interviews.

 

QUALITY TV:
Contemporary American Television and Beyond

by Janet McCabe, Kim Akass

Dealing primarily with the post-1996, this book brings together leading scholars, writers and broadcasters to debate what we currently mean by quality TV. They go deep into contemporary TV, from "The Sopranos" and "The West Wing", to "CSI" and "Lost" - innovative, sometimes controversial, always compelling dramas, which one scholar has described as 'now better than the movies!'
 

CHRISTMAS on TELEVISION

by Diane Werts

From A Charlie Brown Christmas to The X-Files, revisit hundreds of seasonal favorites - sitcom and drama episodes, music specials, TV movies, cartoons, even commercials and - brace yourselves - The Star Wars Holiday Special.

 

DICTIONARY of TELELITERACY:

Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses and Events

by David Bianculli

The best, the worst, the weirdest. They're all here, 500 landmarks, in a lively alphabetical trip through TV history in all its importance and inanity.

 

TELELITERACY:

Taking Television Seriously

by David Bianculli

Television is much more than the boob tube. Bianculli's classic argument explains why TV is a crucial medium whose wide-ranging impact deserves serious attention and respect from everyone.

 

TRUTH AND RUMORS:

The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths

by Bill Brioux

TV's most persistent rumors get thumbs up or thumbs down in this breezy and authoritative roundup, covering everything from Walter Cronkite to Joanie Loves Chachi