A definitive retrospective of Friends incorporates interviews, history, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to offer a critical analysis of how a sitcom about six twenty somethings changed television forever.

"Hi Honey, I'm Homo! is the story not only of how subversive queer comedy transformed the American sitcom, from its inception through today, but how our favorite sitcoms transformed, and continue to transform, America"--

For more than thirty years, Fred Rogers was a beloved fixture in American homes. Warm and welcoming, he spoke directly to children -- and their parents -- about the marvels of the world, the things that worried them, and above all, the importance of being themselves. Dressed in his cardigan and sneakers, Fred Rogers offered a wholesome message of generosity and love that changed the landscape of television and shaped a generation of children. Kindness...

"For the first time, discover the unedited truth about the Duggars, the traditional Christian family that captivated the nation on TLC's hit show 19 Kids and Counting. Jill Duggar and her husband Derick are finally ready to share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans. Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn't possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show...

"It's hard to remember a time when Tina Fey wasn't a star, but back in the early 2000s, she was an SNL writer who was far from a household name. It's even harder to remember when Fey's sitcom 30 Rock was tanking, but it was -- it premiered in the fall of 2006, and by November, the New York Times wrote that 30 Rock was "perilously close to a flop." But despite all expectations (including those of some of the cast and crew), Tina Fey's eccentric buddy...

"Bestselling author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty Pictures, cultural critic Peter Biskind turns his eye toward the new golden age of television, sparked by the fall of play-it-safe network TV and the rise of boundary-busting cable followed by streaming, that overturned both--based on exclusive, candid, and colorful interviews with executives, writers, showrunners, directors, and actors"--

In just a few years, what used to be an immobile piece of living room furniture, which one had to sit in front of at appointed times in order to watch sponsored programming on a finite number of channels, morphed into a glowing cloud of screens with access to a near-endless supply of content available when and how viewers want it. With this phenomenon now a common cultural theme, a writer of David Thomson's stature delivering a critical history, or...

"Television comedy has long been on the frontline in how America evolves on social issues. There is something about comedy that makes difficult issues more palatable--with humor an effective device for presenting ideas that lead to social change. From I Love Lucy which introduced the first television pregnancy to Will & Grace, which normalized gay characters, the situation comedy has challenged the public to revisit social mores and reshape how we...

"The New York Times bestselling author of Next Level Basic and fan-favorite alumna of Bravo's Vanderpump Rules returns from cancellation and pregnancy with the definitive Basic Bitch handbook for surviving bad days (or years)"-- The year 2020 was going to be the best year of Schroeder's life. She bought her first house, and was planning her dream wedding -- until it all went to hell. Here she addresses the experience of getting cancelled, getting...

Drawing on original interviews, oral histories and archival documents, the author traces the iconic children's program host's personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work. "Every weekday for decades, a kind man named Mister Rogers stepped through a door in his TV house, spoke directly into the camera while he changed from street clothes into a cardigan and sneakers, and sang, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." Offering...