Performing Arts - Television - History & Criticism

For the first time, the complete history of David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks--from the landmark, original cult series that changed the course of television to its 25-years-in-the-making sequel--is told through fascinatingly detailed reporting and exclusive interviews with the show's cast and creators....

What happens when media and politics become forms of entertainment? As our world begins to look more and more like Orwell's 1984, Neil's Postman's essential guide to the modern media is more relevant than ever. "It's unlikely that Trump has ever read Amusing Ourselves...

"Buy land, 'cause God ain't making any more of it." When The Sopranos aired in 1999, it was at the forefront what is now known as the Golden Age of TV. Revolving around a suburban New Jersey gangster and his attempts to juggle work...

A definitive companion exploring the original 1978-1979 Battlestar Galactica, its episodes, mythology, and cultural impact.Few television science fiction series have had the enduring appeal of the original, late 1970s Battlestar Galactica. Despite lasting only one season (1978-1979), almost half a century later Battlestar remains...

A look inside the TV show that watches you backIn a house designed for manipulation, paranoia, and power plays, sixteen strangers are cut off from the outside world--watched every second by cameras, judged by millions.Welcome to Big Brother. A show ahead of its time,...

Charts the evolution of musicals on television from song-based shows to the notorious musical episode The musical genre has a fraught history on US television, remembered too frequently for spectacular failures than stellar performances. While the first written-for-TV musical aired in 1944, prime-time musical...

A fun and engaging overview of the popular television series Community as the show fulfills its own prophecy of concluding with six seasons and a movie. Sitcoms are unique to television. In many respects, they define US television from I Love Lucy to Superstore....

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch is Alison Arngrim's comic memoir of growing up as one of television's most memorable characters--the devious Nellie Oleson on the hit television show Little House on the Prairie. With behind-the-scenes stories from the set, as well as tales from...

The rollicking saga of reality television, a "sweeping" (The Washington Post) cultural history of America's most influential, most divisive artistic phenomenon, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker writer--"a must-read for anyone interested in television or popular culture" (NPR) "Passionate, exquisitely told . . ....

From the creator of the highly popular Kardashian Kolloquium comes a new media manifesto for the TikTok age, blending theory and cultural analysis to explain the meteoric rise of the Kardashians and explore what their fame can teach us about the way media functions...

An illuminating biography of Desi Arnaz, the visionary, trailblazing Cuban American who revolutionized television and brought laughter to millions as Lucille Ball's beloved husband on I Love Lucy, leaving a remarkable legacy that continues to influence American culture today. Desi Arnaz is a name...

An illuminating biography of Desi Arnaz, the visionary, trailblazing Cuban American who revolutionized television and brought laughter to millions as Lucille Ball's beloved husband on I Love Lucy, leaving a remarkable legacy that continues to influence American culture today. Desi Arnaz is a name...

This book captures the essence of an important chapter in television history: coverage of the origins of the Emergency!, a dramatic series significant beyond entertainment. Emergency! followed the daily lives of a pair of Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters/paramedics, along with their colleagues...

Ganador del Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize 2026 en No Ficción La historia de la televisión en español en Estados Unidos tiene todos los elementos de una telenovela mexicana, con abundantes empresarios despiadados, galanes, mujeres atractivas, intrigas tras bambalinas y negociaciones políticas . Anita Snow,...

STEP INTO THE VILLA AND OUT OF YOUR READING RUT A fascinating, unauthorized exploration of the smash reality show Love Island, revealing the secrets, drama, and behind-the-scenes stories of TV's most addictive show. Can we pull you for a chat? Because Anna Peele's Enter...

ER: The Oral History is a deep dive into the show that began the modern medical drama phenomenon, and it contains new interviews with over 60 people, including John Wells and Noah Wyle (showrunner and star of the original ER, respectively, and executive producers...

How a Show, and the Support of Its Fandom, Changed--and Saved--Lives Supernatural, a three-time People's Choice Award winner for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show and Tumblr's 2015 Most Reblogged "Live Action TV," has made a name for itself by supporting and encouraging its fans to...

New York Times bestsellerThe complete, first-ever Golden Girls retrospective, packed with hundreds of exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes and never-before-revealed stories, more than two hundred color and black-and-white photos, commentary, and more.They were four women of a certain age, living together under one roof in Miami--smart...

"Norman Lear's Good Times wasn't just a television show-it reflected the times, a powerful narrative shaped by the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties and seventies, and a story of love, laughter, and resilience. As Thelma Evans, I had the honor of representing a...

Step back into the era that shaped American television--and meet the real family who inspired it.Goodnight John-Boy is the heartfelt memoir of Earl Hamner Jr., creator of The Waltons, the beloved series that brought faith, resilience, and family-first values to living rooms nationwide.Perfect for...