Posts Categorized: Television Reference

Men of Action: Behind-the-Scenes of Four Classic Television Series By

Men of Action: Behind-the-Scenes of Four Classic Television Series An in-depth look at the TV series The Magician, Harry O, The Untouchables and Run for Your Life, featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the actors, writers, producers, and directors that made these shows enduring, action-adventure classics.

"A candy box filled with delicious details on some of TV’s classic shows and a primer on how the industry works.” Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author

“A must-read for everyone who loves classic-television crime and drama series.” David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of First Blood

Smoldering Lust: The Inside Story of a Doomed TV Series By

Smoldering Lust: The Inside Story of a Doomed TV Series The groundbreaking inside look at the making — and unmaking — of a network TV series, back in print for the first time in thirty years. This new edition features an Afterword by Ken Levine, the Emmy and WGA award-winning writer/producer of M*A*S*H and Cheers.

“An entertaining autopsy of a failed NBC TV drama/comedy. Don't worry if you never saw or even heard of the show. Muse makes it interesting, providing colorful chapters on everything…and populates the scene-behind-the-scenes with comic episodes and likable, three-dimensional characters who really seem to love what they do.” Kirkus Reviews

“The book confirms what you suspect: Hollywood is a miserable place and sometimes good shows fail and bad shows succeed.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“An amusing narrative that is at its best when showing the nuts-and-bolts aspects of television production.” New York Times

Previously published as We Bombed in Burbank: A Joyride to Prime Time.

SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot By

SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot This is the inside story of one of those doomed TV pilots, a would-be 1990 sitcom about presidential speechwriters first titled E.O.B., then The War Room, and finally Word of Mouth, developed by the acclaimed writer/producerteam of Bruce Paltrow, Tom Fontana, and John Tinker, fresh off of their Emmy award-winning success St. Elsewhere and in huge demand by the networks. The producers granted journalist Daniel Paisner unprecedented access, revealing for the first time exactly how television gets made… and how it doesn’t.

Television Fast Forward By

Television Fast Forward Did Gilligan and his fellow castaways ever get rescued? Is Dr. Marcus Welby still making house calls? Is Marcia Brady single? What kind of father did Beaver Cleaver grow up to be? Did Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers finally tie the bionic knot?

Those burning questions... and many, many more... about your favorite TV characters are finaly answered in the new, 2015 edition of this unique and entertaining book, which examines every TV series revival, sequel or remake that was made from the 1950s through the early 1990s.

Best TV Shows That Never Were By

Best TV Shows That Never Were This lively and entertaining book looks at the three hundred best and worst TV series ideas—known in the industry as "pilots"—that never made it to primetime from 1955-1990. From the adventures of a Samurai D.A. to the antics of an invisible alien baby, Lee Goldberg reveals the most astonishing, funny, and bizarre shows that never were.