Rating: 
Summary: Better Living Through Good TV
Review: TV Land To Go is an entertaining reference book about Classic TV shows split into two halves, the first half is a a selection of "Best of" lists, some more expected ('Best TV Books ever', 'Best Made for TV dramas') and some wonderfully off the wall ('Characters, TV Shows and TV Stars not recognised by spellcheck', 'TV's 15 greatest grumps'). I also enjoyed the other unexpected pieces such as 'The Punctuation Awards' (best/most creative use of punctuation in TV show names) and the enlightning "The 29 most important comic formulae featured in sitcoms" (gotta love the 'whee wohn' - essential reading for all comedy script writers).The second half of the book counts down the 100 greatest sitcom episodes of all time, and it's a far more entertaining read than I initially expected. It's also pleasing to see modern and non-TV Land shows such as Ellen & Seinfeld making the list along with the Mary Tyler Moore Show, I Love Lucy and The Addams Family. The countdown is based on the actual episode, not the overall show, so a great episode of a mediocre program would rate highly. Overall, a clever idea that's well done and serves in making one want to watch more classic TV (I only wish we could get TV Land here in Australia!). Great weekend reading.
Rating:
Summary: A tongue-in-cheek look at TV from the TV Land perspective
Review: Within the pages of Tom Hill's "TV Land to Go: The Big Book of TV Lists, TV Lore, and TV Bests" you will find a list of the Worst Possible Men's Softball Team (composed of classic TV stars). We are talking a battery comprised of pitcher Jack Benny and catcher Paul Lynde and a keystone combination of David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane) and Howard McNear (Floyd the Barber). If that does not give you a clear picture of the level of insanity provided within the pages of this volume, then nothing is going to accomplish that task and you should just go back to watching the tube. Tom Hill is the creative director and head writer at TV Land, where he claims responsibility for the network's trademark tongue-in-cheek on-air promotions. By no means is this a definitive look at television even though The Top 100 Sitcom Episodes of All Time are determined by using an actual scientific formula (patent pending) called The Big TV Satisfaction Ratio, which involves such factors as SyndicoDurability, Comic Valence, and Emotional Resonance along with more fun things like Celebrity, Gimmickry, Theme Song and Kitsch. But do you really need to go through all of that mathematical computation to put "Chuckles Bites the Dust" from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" at the top of the list? Besides, as soon as you see there is nothing from "I Love Lucy" in the Top 10 you know there is a serious flaw here. Still, it is fun to recognize classic episodes and to hear about ones that you missed and you have to admire the idea that anything from "Hogan's Heroes" or "Family Affair" should be anywhere on this list. "TV Land to Go" does have some utility for students of the history of television, especially from a popular culture perspective, but this is ultimately more of a celebration of the medium than a critical study. Most of what you will find here is pure opinion (e.g., TV 15's Greatest Grumps) or outright fiction (e.g., The Innovators of TV Land), but there are attempts at more traditional academic research, such as the reading of the choreography of the "Brady Bunch" opening. The result is a fun book that you can pick up and leaf through and fun something of interest, whether it be The 11 Greatest Hair Crises in TV History (#7 Laura blabbing that Alan Brady is bald) or The 9 Best Production Slates (#1 Jack Webb's Mark VII Hammer).
Rating:
Summary: A tongue-in-cheek look at TV from the TV Land perspective
Review: Within the pages of Tom Hill's "TV Land to Go: The Big Book of TV Lists, TV Lore, and TV Bests" you will find a list of the Worst Possible Men's Softball Team (composed of classic TV stars). We are talking a battery comprised of pitcher Jack Benny and catcher Paul Lynde and a keystone combination of David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane) and Howard McNear (Floyd the Barber). If that does not give you a clear picture of the level of insanity provided within the pages of this volume, then nothing is going to accomplish that task and you should just go back to watching the tube. Tom Hill is the creative director and head writer at TV Land, where he claims responsibility for the network's trademark tongue-in-cheek on-air promotions. By no means is this a definitive look at television even though The Top 100 Sitcom Episodes of All Time are determined by using an actual scientific formula (patent pending) called The Big TV Satisfaction Ratio, which involves such factors as SyndicoDurability, Comic Valence, and Emotional Resonance along with more fun things like Celebrity, Gimmickry, Theme Song and Kitsch. But do you really need to go through all of that mathematical computation to put "Chuckles Bites the Dust" from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" at the top of the list? Besides, as soon as you see there is nothing from "I Love Lucy" in the Top 10 you know there is a serious flaw here. Still, it is fun to recognize classic episodes and to hear about ones that you missed and you have to admire the idea that anything from "Hogan's Heroes" or "Family Affair" should be anywhere on this list. "TV Land to Go" does have some utility for students of the history of television, especially from a popular culture perspective, but this is ultimately more of a celebration of the medium than a critical study. Most of what you will find here is pure opinion (e.g., TV 15's Greatest Grumps) or outright fiction (e.g., The Innovators of TV Land), but there are attempts at more traditional academic research, such as the reading of the choreography of the "Brady Bunch" opening. The result is a fun book that you can pick up and leaf through and fun something of interest, whether it be The 11 Greatest Hair Crises in TV History (#7 Laura blabbing that Alan Brady is bald) or The 9 Best Production Slates (#1 Jack Webb's Mark VII Hammer).
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