Brooks on Books: The Platinum Age of Television by David Bianculli

Longtime TV critic (NPR's Fresh Air, TVWorthWatching.com, previously newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer and New York Daily News) David Bianculli aims to tell the story of, as his subtitle puts it, "TV became terrific." His approach is to focus on the "evolution" of quality television, choosing 5 or 6 examples that represent a given genre and attempting to connect them to show how they helped advance the medium. Some connections are looser than others, but he weaves in frequent references to other programs and comments from TV talent (especially producers) to support his focus on evolutionary progress.

For example, a chapter on medical shows moves from Dr, Kildare to St. Elsewhere to ER to House to Grey's Anatomy. It also mentions Medical Center, Medic, and Scrubs, among others. One of the interesting categories is "Splitcoms," used to describe comedies that split time between the workplace and domestic life (He includes shows like The Andy Griffith Show and Seinfeld here).

I would suggest that you don't get too hung up on the gimmick, though it works pretty well and offers an interesting framework for the book. The enjoyment here is just reading about so many great TV shows. There is a lot of history, though due to the broadness of the content covered, it's hard to get too much in depth on any particular program. You get some great details about the origins of the best shows on TV, and there are also short chapters profiling notable creators like David Simon, Matt Groening, Vince Gilligan, and many others. Hardcore TV fans and historians may find a lot of the information familiar, but Bianculli is such a skilled writer that it's a pleasure to read the way he arranges all of it.

He adds a personal touch to many of the chapters. For example, he builds his interview with Louis C.K. around the revelation that the comedian's reaction to the critic's harsh assessment of HBO's Lucky Louie was an essential ingredient to the creation of FX's Louie. Well, that's what Louis himself says, anyway. Bianculli relates other anecdotes, both from his personal life of watching television and his professional life of covering it.

He keeps most of the focus on the work itself, though, and it's hard to argue with his choices. He doesn't give every great show its own little section, but he makes so many references to so many different programs that it's hard to think of too much that is left out. I personally would give more credit to Get a Life than just a casual mention in the Judd Apatow profile, but it WAS a low-rated sitcom. Bianculli concedes that some readers will wish there were evolutionary chapters devoted to game shows, anthologies, and TV movies, among others, but says TV is just too broad to cover everything, and I don't fault him for not attempting to include everything.

Some of the chapter organization seems a bit odd at first--for example, the author combines fantasy/sci-fi/horror in one broad section--but he does a good job explaining all of his decisions, though it does seem like the chapters get shorter as the book progresses, almost as if it were running a bit low on steam.

Game of Thrones gets what feels like a cursory mention despite the acknowledgement of its popularity and growing influence. I also question the amount of ink devoted to Larry Wilmore, who is talented but not yet as influential as many of the others profiled in their own chapters.

Overall, though, Platinum Age is a great read that delivers well over 500 pages of intelligent but not academic writing about quality television. It's a delight to see the emphasis on older shows, too, and not just modern work like Mad Men. Bianculli identifies The Sopranos as the true launching point of the modern "platinum age" of excellence, but he gives equal time to the likes of Hill Street Blues, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Your Show of Shows.

This book will spark interest in digging up all kinds of new-to-the-reader programs or maybe just rewatching familiar ones. Bianculli does a fine job of telling the history of television--specifically, quality television--through the evolution of its programming. It's a fresh approach that pays off in this compelling and entertaining read.