Review: The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific

The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific by David Bianculli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a pretty comprehensive look at 20th-century television and some of the best and seminal moments of TV history. Bianculli has been writing about television since 1975 and his knowledge and love of the form is quite evident in how he traces the lineage of different shows, writers, actors, directors, etc. He knows his stuff and he's clearly excited to be sharing his life's work with readers. His work moves through each genre, first by defining it and articulating the ground-breakers through the years from inception to (2016) present and then by providing a narrative that strings these together, making sure to highlight particular shows, episodes, controversial (or funny) anecdotes, and other interesting elements. He usually follows these with spotlights of particular key figures in this genre where delves deeper into their career and life. Some of it doesn't age well having been published in 2016. While the Cosby allegations were in full swing and he acknowledges that, his adulations of Louis C.K. and Kevin Spacey among others. Additionally, his focus does necessarily feel adequate. He spends a substantial amount of time on sit-coms, even breaking them up into home, work, and split sub-genres but then lumps in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror in a way that hints as an unfamiliarity or an absence of recognition of their legitimacy as respectable genres. However, if you want one of the best comprehensive explorations of storytelling in television, Bianculli delivers one of the best takes.

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