The Showrunners: A Season Inside the Billion-Dollar, Death-Defying, Madcap World of Television's Real Stars [Paperback]

David Wild (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2000

By spending the last full TV season of the twentieth century in the company of television's real stars-the writers and producers of America's most popular shows -bestselling author David Wild got the nittygritty answers to all of these questions, and a few more.  Updated to include new material on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire mania, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the top of TV's creative food chain.  So tune in as the creators of  Party of Five cope with the sweeps week by having Julia (Neve Campbell) kiss another girl, as two former Seinfeld scribes find that there is life after Seinfeld, and as straight and gay pair of buddies bring the world to Will & Grace.

A gripping, eye-opening book, The Showrunners offers a fascinating group portrait of what it really takes to make it in prime-time TV-the Darwinian marketplace where art and commerce butt heads.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A dishy, entertaining page-turner that follows the lives of the smart, neurotic and driven producers in charge of network series." -- -- TV Guide

About the Author

David Wild is a senior editor at Rolling Stone, where he has written about pop culture since 1986. A graduate of Cornell University, Wild is the author of the New York Times bestseller Friends: The Official Companion. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Fran, his son, Andrew, and a player to be named later. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060932023
• ISBN-13: 978-0060932022
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great TV Book That Is Well Worth Reading Even Outside L.A., November 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Showrunners : A Season Inside The Billion-Dollar, Death-Defying, Madcap World Of Television's Real Stars (Hardcover)

It starts with "He's a pinball wizard" and ends with "it turns out that there are other things ro run besides TV shows". This is is great story about the TV industry that has quickly reached best seller proportions in Hollywood. It deserves to be read by anyone with a TV set. Great interviews and insight into the business and the mindset of TV showrunners.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reality Check of TV, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Showrunners : A Season Inside The Billion-Dollar, Death-Defying, Madcap World Of Television's Real Stars (Hardcover)

Fresh, astute, and straight on look at what TV is made of by a respected reviewer of the scene. Get away from the set and read this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read For TV Lovers!, October 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Showrunners : A Season Inside The Billion-Dollar, Death-Defying, Madcap World Of Television's Real Stars (Hardcover)

It's tough to find a good book about the real inner-workings of television. Few people have the access, and when they do, it's often one-sided and tough to see the whole picture. But David Wild's "Showrunners" is one of the few that not only manages a balanced look at the inner-sanctum of TV, but a broad view as well.

This book is great for newcomers, who can find a heavy doses of reality in the tales of producers of shows like "Cupid" and "NewsRadio," and should be an interesting look at the biz for the professional, who sometimes can lose sight of all the individual stories that exist in the television industry.

Are there slow parts? A few. But with insights into the inner-workings of shows like "7th Heaven," "Will & Grace," "Dilbert," "7 Days," "Friends," "Cupid," "NewsRadio" and "It's like, you know..." (among others), there's just about something for everyone here. A must-read!