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Television today is better than ever. From The Sopranos to Breaking Bad, Sex and the City to Girls, and Modern Family to Louie, never has so much quality programming dominated our screens. Exploring how we got here, acclaimed TV critic David Bianculli traces the evolution of the classic TV genres, among them the sitcom, the crime show, the miniseries, the soap opera, the Western, the animated series, the medical drama, and the variety show. In each genre he selects five key examples of the form to illustrate its continuities and its dramatic departures. Drawing on exclusive and in-depth interviews with many of the most famed auteurs in television history, Bianculli shows how the medium has evolved into the premier form of visual narrative art.

Includes interviews with: MEL BROOKS, MATT GROENING, DAVID CHASE, KEVIN SPACEY, AMY SCHUMER, VINCE GILLIGAN, AARON SORKIN, MATTHEW WEINER, JUDD APATOW, LOUIS C.K., DAVID MILCH, DAVID E. KELLEY, JAMES L. BROOKS, LARRY DAVID, KEN BURNS, LARRY WILMORE, AND MANY, MANY MORE

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"An effusive guidebook. . . . A highly readable history." -The Washington Post

"With this combination of historical perspective, critical insight and effective interviews, Mr. Bianculli makes a persuasive argument for television as a medium that is evolving constantly." -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"[Bianculli] brings his sense of appreciation, historical perspective and behind-the-scenes dish to dozens of the shows that transfixed and transformed generations." -The Sacramento Bee

"David Bianculli sets the gold standard for The Platinum Age of Television." -Vanity Fair

"Excellent . . . a rousing rundown of the history of the medium and how it became the pop-cultural, multi-platform programming colossus of today. Through thoughtful, engaging, entertaining essays. . . . [Bianculli] guides readers though an ever-changing road map of themes, formats, stars and styles." -Parade

"A wise, engaging celebration of a type of entertainment that´s as much of an art form as it is a pastime." -NPR

"Wonderful. . . . A must for anyone who has been enthralled by the images and stories on television." -AP

"[Bianculli has] a keen eye for crucial crossroads, missing links, and turning points. . . . [The] interviews are truly a book within the book, funny, surprising, and enlightening." -The Philadelphia Inquirer

"[A] wide-ranging personal tour of TV, genre by genre. . . . An anecdotal road trip with refueling stops to flesh out 90 key programs, from I Love Lucy to Empire, so deftly summarized that it feels you´ve just watched them again (or now want to)." -Newsday

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DAVID BIANCULLI is a guest host and TV critic on NPR´s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. A contributor to the show since its inception, he has been a TV critic since 1975. From 1993 to 2007, Bianculli was a TV critic for the New York Daily News . Bianculli has written three books: Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, 2009); Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously (1992); and Dictionary of Teleliteracy (1996). An associate professor of TV and film at Rowan University in New Jersey, Bianculli is also the founder and editor of the online magazine, TVWorthWatching.com.

From the Hardcover edition.

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