Rating: - For New York Elitists Only--Not For TV Lovers
This book is a compilation of dated columns about the television business from a New York writer who sees the medium through his New York elitism. His writing style is "clever" and his comments almost always condescending. Namely, he is more in love with hearing his own critical voice than in love with the medium.

The book has a few essays in each category, including sitcoms, race, religion, war, game shows, news and reality TV. None of them stand out and most of them leave the reader frustrated. In his introduction the author admits that since most TV shows are "thin," he needs to pad his writings with tangential issues. So in writing about Donald Trump and The Apprentice, the author feels the need to use it as reason to bash President Bush. (Don't see the connection? Well, you won't get it when you read the book either.)

Some of his information is factually incorrect or distorted. Then he offers opinions that are laughable. He overly praises Oprah, makes fun of James Lipton (who is an easy target--maybe Lipton is too close to the author's own elitist style?), and LOVED the failed Friends spin-off entitled Joey.

He tends to overuse superlatives ("hugely successful" and "runaway hit" are just two phrases used for the short-lived Apprentice) and all of the columns seem very dated. Why were the writings not updated for book publication? Why print a two-year old review praising a show that got good ratings in its first week and proclaim it a hit, but fail to add an update that within a couple of months the viewership levels dropped so dramatically that the show was cancelled?

So if you are a TV lover or media historian this is not a good book to read. If you are outside the East Coast circle it will seem crass, frustrating and even boring. The publisher, Basic Books, failed to have an editor that challenged the author's opinions or ask for updated information. And the cover is one of the worst ever for a book about television--a cartoon drawing of a TV set on yellow-orange background. Overall, the entire thing is a disappointment.

Unless you are a New York elitist that enjoys that condescending style of "know-it-all" writing, avoid this book.