Customer Reviews

The Showrunners : A Season Inside The Billion-Dollar, Death-Defying, Madcap World Of Television's Real Stars

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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!

As a producer in the motion picture and television industries, I found this book was something of a Chinese meal. Once you digest the clever anecdotes, you discover there is very little else of substance. There is virtually nothing about the real mechanics of running a show day to day such as overseeing the writers room or the day to day give and take with network execs. What is especially disappointing is the single-minded focus on sitcoms. There is nothing about dramatic series. Anyone looking for a serious discussion of the TV industry should avoid this glib and shallow treatment.

I picked up this book on a lark at my local bookstore, being familiar with Wild's work in Rolling Stone, and thought it would be interesting and fun. It delivers. Wild manages to tell us about the stories behind the television series that we know and love. It's told in almost uniformly smart prose, with crackling humor. There are a few problems with the book. First and foremost is that large portions of the book, especially those dealing with "The Norm Show," appeared previously in substantially the same form in Wild's Rolling Stone articles. Another problem is that at times, there are too many stories going on. Wild follows SEVERAL sets of "showrunners," with characters and stories whipping in and out. I'd love to see Wild do a more in-depth look at just one of these people. Sure, some stories predominate--particularly the heartbreaking stories of Rob Thomas' "Cupid" and Paul Simms' "NewsRadio"--but often, I felt like there wasn't enough focus laid on a single storyline. Still, it's well worth picking up, if you're interested in seeing how shows come together in modern TV-Land.

One of the best books I've read in a long time. It should be required reading for anyone interested in the entertainment industry. I highly recommend it.

Insightful, interesting description of how a TV season is made and unmade. Well-told with great characters and storylines. Compelling general interest read.

As a person who actually works in the industry, reading David Wild's book on "The Showrunners" was pretty interesting. How many people would love to get their shows picked up and also to get a good first hand behind-the-scenes look at went on for several shows in the book was knowledgeable and I use the word again...interesting.

Although many of the shows listed in the book are no longer around. It doesn't really matter because there are people, showrunners in the book who will perhaps continue to be showrunners for other programs and to get their side and perspective on the business is good to know.

David Wild knows what he's writing about and he talks to quite a few big names throughout the book. His book on showing what it takes to succeed and how many fail in television and showing the good and also the bad is what many people interested in buying this book would want to read.

Sure, I'm sure there are a plethora of shows and showrunners we would of wished to see in this book but you do get insight from the showrunners for shows like "Friends", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Party of Five", "Will & Grace", "NewsRadio" and much more.

Is their life after "Seinfeld"? Can the super-trio behind "Friends" juggle three "must-see" shows? How do these showrunners feel about a "Party of Five" spin-off show starring Jennifer Love Hewitt?

Want to know the answers? Buy the book!

Best attempt to focus on what is necessary for a TV show to be a success. Why great ideas sometimes can't work in some situations and rotten ideas triumph in others.

Will help us redirect some of our students to law school.

Great read-- a well researched book on the dynamics of the indutry we are all tied to.

I found it to be of great interest to friends not in showbiz. Have started giving copies as gifts.