Mr. Show: What Happened?! The Complete Story and Episode Guide [Paperback]

Naomi Odenkirk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2002

From the first time David Cross and Bob Odenkirk's cocreation aired on late-night TV in 1995, Mr. Show began developing a cult-like following, which has only grown since the series end. This lavishly-illustrated book features original, never-before-seen material — plus a complete episode guide — making it a rich, unique retrospective.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A spectacular item. . .so comprehensive and so well organized. An amazing job executing an amazing book idea." -- Jeffrey Bergstrom (fan), 11/5/98

"The best television show companion ever produced." -- Charles Slade (fan) 10/30/02

"The book is fantastic! You don't realize how much of a treat this is for Mr. Show fans everywhere." -- Daria (fan) 10/29/02

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Squaresville Books (September 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971359784
• ISBN-13: 978-0971359789
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #726,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying "before," disappointing "after", February 16, 2005

By 

L. J. Williamson "ljwilliamson" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Show: What Happened?! The Complete Story and Episode Guide (Paperback)

If you're a big Mr. Show geek like I am, you're going to buy this book no matter what any review says, so you might as well quit reading and start spending. But your satisfaction with your purchase will depend upon how you interpret the "What Happened" in this book's title. If you take it to mean "what happened in each of the episodes," you'll get exactly what you want and be thrilled to fondle its ever-stickier pages. But if you assume, as I did, that the more pressing question facing Mr. Show fans is, "what happened to cause this brilliant show to be taken off the air, thus rendering my life meaningless," you'll be sorely disappointed.

There is no discussion whatsoever about the show's cancellation, its aftermath, etc. I can imagine many political reasons for omitting this information/carping but doing so does not increase my satisfaction with this book. Perhaps the Odenkirks are prepping us for a sequel, leaving us hungry for more, but somehow I don't think so.

The strong suit of this book is the information on how Mr. Show came into being, how the cast members met, their work before the series. Some tidbits that were new to me: Bob Odenkirk wrote that SNL Chris Farley sketch about "living in a VAN down by the RIVER;" Bill Odenkirk has a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry.

The only way I can satisfy my craving for more fantastic newness is by watching all of my Mr. Show DVDs, obliterating my memory with drugs, then repeating the process again and again. I recommend it highly.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you wanted to know and more., November 22, 2002

By 

Some Guy "jumperkb" (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Show: What Happened?! The Complete Story and Episode Guide (Paperback)

Naomi Odenkirk (wife of Bob) has gone above and beyond with this all-encompassing look at one of the smartest and funniest shows ever to hit the airwaves. Not only does she offer background on David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, she gives in-depth profiles of other cast members as well as the writers. And if you've ever seen Mr. Show you know how important (and brilliant) the writing was. She even goes into detail about the scene that spawned Mr. Show, which until now has gone unreported for the most part.

Lastly, the book's episode-by-episode breakdown offers recaps of all the scenes as well as notes, trivia and anecdotes from the cast and crew about each episode. Quite simply, there's absolutely nothing left out.

If you like Mr. Show, you need this book.

35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't read by Craig T. Nelson, March 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mr. Show: What Happened?! The Complete Story and Episode Guide (Paperback)

I'm actually an illiterate person (and former Hollywood star of shows like Coach and motion pictures like Poltergeist II: The Legacy), but one thing I do know about are books, meaning: I know what they are because I've seen them crammed on shelves in houses and ontop of television sets across this great land of ours and from coast to coast too. And one thing I've come to learn about this Mr. Show book is - it's got plenty of pictures. To me one good quality picture is worth a thousand misspelled words. You're probably wondering how I'm writing this review- well you let me just worry about that and buy yourself a book about this wonderful Johnny come lately tv series that got the corporate ax much too soon in this humble actor's opinion!