Author: HBO
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
ISBN: 9781933821184
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The companion volume to a television show that has generated millions of die-hard viewers in its six seasons features more than 30 original interviews with the shows actors, producers, and guest stars, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the sets and locations, a detailed episode guide, and more than 200 color photos, some never before seen.Hachette Book Group USA
The Sopranos: The Book
Author: HBO
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
ISBN: 9781933821184
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The companion volume to a television show that has generated millions of die-hard viewers in its six seasons features more than 30 original interviews with the shows actors, producers, and guest stars, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the sets and locations, a detailed episode guide, and more than 200 color photos, some never before seen.Hachette Book Group USA
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
ISBN: 9781933821184
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The companion volume to a television show that has generated millions of die-hard viewers in its six seasons features more than 30 original interviews with the shows actors, producers, and guest stars, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the sets and locations, a detailed episode guide, and more than 200 color photos, some never before seen.Hachette Book Group USA
The Sopranos Sessions
Author: Matt Zoller Seitz
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1683355261
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 748
Book Description
In The Sopranos Sessions, renowned television critics—and New York Times bestselling authors—Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest television series of all time. Foreword by Laura Lippmann On January 10, 1999, a mobster walked into a psychiatrist’s office and changed TV history. By shattering preconceptions about the kinds of stories the medium should tell, The Sopranos launched our current age of prestige television, paving the way for such giants as Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. As TV critics for Tony Soprano’s hometown paper, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz were among the first to write about the series before it became a cultural phenomenon. Sepinwall and Seitz have reunited to produce The Sopranos Sessions, a collection of recaps, conversations, and critical essays covering every episode. Featuring a series of long-form interviews with series creator David Chase, as well as selections from the authors’ archival writing on the series, The Sopranos Sessions explores the show’s artistry, themes, and legacy. “This amazing book by Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz has bigger twists than anything I could ever come up with.” —Sam Esmail, creator of Mr. Robot
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1683355261
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 748
Book Description
In The Sopranos Sessions, renowned television critics—and New York Times bestselling authors—Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest television series of all time. Foreword by Laura Lippmann On January 10, 1999, a mobster walked into a psychiatrist’s office and changed TV history. By shattering preconceptions about the kinds of stories the medium should tell, The Sopranos launched our current age of prestige television, paving the way for such giants as Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. As TV critics for Tony Soprano’s hometown paper, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz were among the first to write about the series before it became a cultural phenomenon. Sepinwall and Seitz have reunited to produce The Sopranos Sessions, a collection of recaps, conversations, and critical essays covering every episode. Featuring a series of long-form interviews with series creator David Chase, as well as selections from the authors’ archival writing on the series, The Sopranos Sessions explores the show’s artistry, themes, and legacy. “This amazing book by Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz has bigger twists than anything I could ever come up with.” —Sam Esmail, creator of Mr. Robot
The Sopranos
Author: Gary R. Edgerton
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
ISBN: 0814338526
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
Fans who want to learn more about the show and scholars of television history will enjoy this entertaining and educational volume.
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
ISBN: 0814338526
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
Fans who want to learn more about the show and scholars of television history will enjoy this entertaining and educational volume.
The Sopranos
Author: Dana Polan
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 0822392410
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
“In its original run on HBO, The Sopranos mattered, and it matters still,” Dana Polan asserts early in this analysis of the hit show, in which he sets out to clarify the impact and importance of the series in both its cultural and media-industry contexts. A renowned film and TV scholar, Polan combines a close and extended reading of the show itself—and of select episodes and scenes—with broader attention to the social landscape with which it is in dialogue. For Polan, The Sopranos is a work of playful irony that complicates simplistic attempts to grasp its meanings and values. The show seductively beckons the viewer into an amoral universe, hinting at ways to make sense of its ethically complicated situations, only to challenge the viewer’s complacent grasp of things. It deftly exploits the interplay between art culture and popular culture by mixing elements of art cinema—meandering plots, narrative breaks, and an uncertain progression—with the allure of a soap opera, delving into its characters’ sex lives, mob rivalries, and parent–child conflicts. A show about corrupt figures who parasitically try to squeeze illicit profit from the system, The Sopranos itself seems a target of attempts to glom on to its fame as a successful TV series: attempts by media executives, marketers, critics and writers, and even presidential candidates. “Everyone wants a piece of Sopranos action,” says Polan, and he traces the marketing of the series across both official and unauthorized media platforms, including cookbooks, games, DVDs, and the kitschy Sopranos bus tour. Critiquing previous books on The Sopranos, Polan suggests that in their quest to find deep meaning, many of the authors missed the show’s ironic and comedic side.
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 0822392410
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
“In its original run on HBO, The Sopranos mattered, and it matters still,” Dana Polan asserts early in this analysis of the hit show, in which he sets out to clarify the impact and importance of the series in both its cultural and media-industry contexts. A renowned film and TV scholar, Polan combines a close and extended reading of the show itself—and of select episodes and scenes—with broader attention to the social landscape with which it is in dialogue. For Polan, The Sopranos is a work of playful irony that complicates simplistic attempts to grasp its meanings and values. The show seductively beckons the viewer into an amoral universe, hinting at ways to make sense of its ethically complicated situations, only to challenge the viewer’s complacent grasp of things. It deftly exploits the interplay between art culture and popular culture by mixing elements of art cinema—meandering plots, narrative breaks, and an uncertain progression—with the allure of a soap opera, delving into its characters’ sex lives, mob rivalries, and parent–child conflicts. A show about corrupt figures who parasitically try to squeeze illicit profit from the system, The Sopranos itself seems a target of attempts to glom on to its fame as a successful TV series: attempts by media executives, marketers, critics and writers, and even presidential candidates. “Everyone wants a piece of Sopranos action,” says Polan, and he traces the marketing of the series across both official and unauthorized media platforms, including cookbooks, games, DVDs, and the kitschy Sopranos bus tour. Critiquing previous books on The Sopranos, Polan suggests that in their quest to find deep meaning, many of the authors missed the show’s ironic and comedic side.
The Sopranos (SM)
Author: David Chase
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446559059
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 478
Book Description
This must-have book for every fan of HBO's hit show The Sopranos packs five scripts from the best episodes, handpicked by series creator David Chase. The Sopranos is HBO's TV show about your average New Jersey mafia capo, with major headaches. His mother wants him dead, his psychiatrist makes him nuts, and the FBI takes an unhealthy interest in his business. Here are the complete scripts from five of the best episodes: "Pilot"-Tony's shrink sessions focus on ducks in his swimming pool while he plans to blow up a restaurant. "College"-While driving his daughter to college interviews, Tony discovers and garrotes a mob informant who betrayed his family. "The Happy Wanderer"-David Scatino loses his son's SUV to Tony in a high-stakes poker game. "The Knight in White Satin Armor"-Tony's Russian mistress attempts suicide, and his sister shoots her fiancé. "Pine Barrens"-Christopher and Paulie try to dispose of a murdered Russian gangster who turns out to be very much alive.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446559059
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 478
Book Description
This must-have book for every fan of HBO's hit show The Sopranos packs five scripts from the best episodes, handpicked by series creator David Chase. The Sopranos is HBO's TV show about your average New Jersey mafia capo, with major headaches. His mother wants him dead, his psychiatrist makes him nuts, and the FBI takes an unhealthy interest in his business. Here are the complete scripts from five of the best episodes: "Pilot"-Tony's shrink sessions focus on ducks in his swimming pool while he plans to blow up a restaurant. "College"-While driving his daughter to college interviews, Tony discovers and garrotes a mob informant who betrayed his family. "The Happy Wanderer"-David Scatino loses his son's SUV to Tony in a high-stakes poker game. "The Knight in White Satin Armor"-Tony's Russian mistress attempts suicide, and his sister shoots her fiancé. "Pine Barrens"-Christopher and Paulie try to dispose of a murdered Russian gangster who turns out to be very much alive.
Tinderbox
Author: James Andrew Miller
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1250623995
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 759
Book Description
Tinderbox tells the exclusive, explosive, uninhibited true story of HBO and how it burst onto the American scene and screen to detonate a revolution and transform our relationship with television forever. The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, The Wire, Succession...HBO has long been the home of epic shows, as well as the source for brilliant new movies, news-making documentaries, and controversial sports journalism. By thinking big, trashing tired formulas, and killing off cliches long past their primes, HBO shook off the shackles of convention and led the way to a bolder world of content, opening the door to all that was new, original, and worthy of our attention. In Tinderbox, award-winning journalist James Andrew Miller uncovers a bottomless trove of secrets and surprises, revealing new conflicts, insights, and analysis. As he did to great acclaim with SNL in Live from New York; with ESPN in Those Guys Have All the Fun; and with talent agency CAA in Powerhouse, Miller continues his record of extraordinary access to the most important voices, this time speaking with talents ranging from Abrams (J. J.) to Zendaya, as well as every single living president of HBO—and hundreds of other major players. Over the course of more than 750 interviews with key sources, Miller reveals how fraught HBO’s journey has been, capturing the drama and the comedy off-camera and inside boardrooms as HBO created and mobilized a daring new content universe, and, in doing so, reshaped storytelling and upended our entertainment lives forever.
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1250623995
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 759
Book Description
Tinderbox tells the exclusive, explosive, uninhibited true story of HBO and how it burst onto the American scene and screen to detonate a revolution and transform our relationship with television forever. The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, The Wire, Succession...HBO has long been the home of epic shows, as well as the source for brilliant new movies, news-making documentaries, and controversial sports journalism. By thinking big, trashing tired formulas, and killing off cliches long past their primes, HBO shook off the shackles of convention and led the way to a bolder world of content, opening the door to all that was new, original, and worthy of our attention. In Tinderbox, award-winning journalist James Andrew Miller uncovers a bottomless trove of secrets and surprises, revealing new conflicts, insights, and analysis. As he did to great acclaim with SNL in Live from New York; with ESPN in Those Guys Have All the Fun; and with talent agency CAA in Powerhouse, Miller continues his record of extraordinary access to the most important voices, this time speaking with talents ranging from Abrams (J. J.) to Zendaya, as well as every single living president of HBO—and hundreds of other major players. Over the course of more than 750 interviews with key sources, Miller reveals how fraught HBO’s journey has been, capturing the drama and the comedy off-camera and inside boardrooms as HBO created and mobilized a daring new content universe, and, in doing so, reshaped storytelling and upended our entertainment lives forever.
The Sopranos
Author: Francesco Clemente
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
This book presents a unique collection of portraits of eight of the world's leading sopranos, by acclaimed artist Francesco Clemente. Executed over a four-month period, these large-scale oil paintings portray each diva as her character in their upcoming productions - including Puccini's "La Rondine", Massenet's "Thais", and Berlioz's "Faust". Displaying his distinctive talent for portraiture and caricature
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
This book presents a unique collection of portraits of eight of the world's leading sopranos, by acclaimed artist Francesco Clemente. Executed over a four-month period, these large-scale oil paintings portray each diva as her character in their upcoming productions - including Puccini's "La Rondine", Massenet's "Thais", and Berlioz's "Faust". Displaying his distinctive talent for portraiture and caricature
The Sopranos Family Cookbook
Author: Artie Bucco
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446545341
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
Nuovo Vesuvio. The "family" restaurant, redefined. Home to the finest in Napolitan' cuisine and Essex County's best kept secret. Now Artie Bucco, la cucina's master chef and your personal host, invites you to a special feast...with a little help from his friends. From arancini to zabaglione, from baccala to Quail Sinatra-style, Artie Bucco and his guests, the Sopranos and their associates, offer food lovers one hundred Avellinese-style recipes and valuable preparation tips. But that's not all! Artie also brings you a cornucopia of precious Sopranos artifacts that includes photos from the old country; the first Bucco's Vesuvio's menu from 1926; AJ's school essay on "Why I Like Food"; Bobby Bacala's style tips for big eaters, and much, much more. So share the big table with: Tony Soprano, waste management executive "Most people soak a bagful of discount briquettes with lighter fluid and cook a pork chop until it's shoe leather and think they're Wolfgang Puck." Enjoy his tender Grilled Sausages sizzling with fennel or cheese. Warning: Piercing the skin is a fire hazard. Corrado "Junior" Soprano, Tony's uncle "Mama always cooked. No one died of too much cholesterol or some such crap." Savor his Pasta Fazool, a toothsome marriage of cannellini beans and ditalini pasta, or Giambott', a grand-operatic vegetable medley. Carmela Soprano, Tony's wife "If someone were sick, my inclination would be to send over a pastina and ricotta. It's healing food." Try her Baked Ziti, sinfully enriched with three cheeses, and her earthy 'Shcarole with Garlic. Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri, associate of Tony Soprano "I have heard that Eskimos have fifty words for snow. We have five hundred words for food." Sink your teeth into his Eggs in Purgatory-eight eggs, bubbling tomato sauce, and an experience that's pure heaven. As Artie says, "Enjoy, with a thousand meals and a thousand laughs. Buon' appetito!"
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446545341
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
Nuovo Vesuvio. The "family" restaurant, redefined. Home to the finest in Napolitan' cuisine and Essex County's best kept secret. Now Artie Bucco, la cucina's master chef and your personal host, invites you to a special feast...with a little help from his friends. From arancini to zabaglione, from baccala to Quail Sinatra-style, Artie Bucco and his guests, the Sopranos and their associates, offer food lovers one hundred Avellinese-style recipes and valuable preparation tips. But that's not all! Artie also brings you a cornucopia of precious Sopranos artifacts that includes photos from the old country; the first Bucco's Vesuvio's menu from 1926; AJ's school essay on "Why I Like Food"; Bobby Bacala's style tips for big eaters, and much, much more. So share the big table with: Tony Soprano, waste management executive "Most people soak a bagful of discount briquettes with lighter fluid and cook a pork chop until it's shoe leather and think they're Wolfgang Puck." Enjoy his tender Grilled Sausages sizzling with fennel or cheese. Warning: Piercing the skin is a fire hazard. Corrado "Junior" Soprano, Tony's uncle "Mama always cooked. No one died of too much cholesterol or some such crap." Savor his Pasta Fazool, a toothsome marriage of cannellini beans and ditalini pasta, or Giambott', a grand-operatic vegetable medley. Carmela Soprano, Tony's wife "If someone were sick, my inclination would be to send over a pastina and ricotta. It's healing food." Try her Baked Ziti, sinfully enriched with three cheeses, and her earthy 'Shcarole with Garlic. Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri, associate of Tony Soprano "I have heard that Eskimos have fifty words for snow. We have five hundred words for food." Sink your teeth into his Eggs in Purgatory-eight eggs, bubbling tomato sauce, and an experience that's pure heaven. As Artie says, "Enjoy, with a thousand meals and a thousand laughs. Buon' appetito!"
The Coco Pinchard Boxset
Author: Robert Bryndza
Publisher: Raven Street Publishing
ISBN: 1916153968
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1122
Book Description
'One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. It was like life! I laughed. I cried. I felt warm and fuzzy. You could insert yourself right in the story and feel at home!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Between her cheating husband, her meddling in-laws, and an unexpected pregnancy, Coco Pinchard's life is coming apart at the seams. Can she pick up the pieces to find her long-awaited happily ever after? A sidesplitting box set from multi-million bestselling author, Robert Bryndza. Book 1: The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard If you enjoyed flipping through Bridget Jones's diary, you'll love perusing Coco Pinchard's emails! Coco confides in her quirky, supportive friends as she deals with her life falling apart. Read the emails that tell the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good Romantic Comedy. Book 2: Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding Coco thinks she's on the road to happily ever after with Adam, until he inexplicably breaks up with her. Will one mistake cost them their whole future? Coco sets out to discover what has really happened, and uncovers a shocking secret Adam has been hiding from her... Full of hilarious twists and turns, Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding is a witty, heart-warming, romantic comedy - the stand-alone sequel to no.1 bestselling, The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard. Book 3: Coco Pinchard, the Consequences of Love and Sex Coco Pinchard has a great life, a bestselling memoir, and a handsome second husband. Things are going exactly as planned -- until her adult son runs into disaster, her ex's mother butts back into her life, and she finds out she's pregnant! Maybe life is more fun if you throw your plans out the window... The third book in the bestselling Coco Pinchard series is a hilarious diary with Coco's trademark wit and honesty, tracing the raging hormones and extraordinary twists that take her to motherhood for the second time. Book 4: A Very Coco Christmas A Very Coco Christmas is a delicious, stand-alone prequel short story to the smash-hit Coco Pinchard series. It's 1985, and eighteen-year-old Coco Pinchard is home for Christmas after her first term at University. She's fallen hopelessly in love with Daniel Pinchard, but Coco's mother wants her to be with Kenneth, the son of posh friends Adrian and Yvonne Rosebury, who will be joining them for Christmas. As snow falls softly over the city, and Coco tries to juggle a series of hilarious events, the stage is set for a Christmas lunch like no other. Book 5: Coco Pinchard's Must-Have Toy Story A sparkling feel-good comedy, which asks the question - how far would you go to get your child the must-have Christmas toy? It's December 1992, and children are going crazy for the Tracy Island toy - almost as crazy as the parents! Christmas day is fast approaching and Coco Pinchard is desperately trying to track one down for her four-year-old son Rosencrantz. From dodgy dealings in a motorway lay-by, to extreme shopping in Hamley's with a Sylvanian Families fanatic, to having a go at the Blue Peter make-your-own Tracy Island, Coco tries everything in the hope that Rosencrantz can open the must-have toy on Christmas morning.
Publisher: Raven Street Publishing
ISBN: 1916153968
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1122
Book Description
'One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. It was like life! I laughed. I cried. I felt warm and fuzzy. You could insert yourself right in the story and feel at home!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Between her cheating husband, her meddling in-laws, and an unexpected pregnancy, Coco Pinchard's life is coming apart at the seams. Can she pick up the pieces to find her long-awaited happily ever after? A sidesplitting box set from multi-million bestselling author, Robert Bryndza. Book 1: The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard If you enjoyed flipping through Bridget Jones's diary, you'll love perusing Coco Pinchard's emails! Coco confides in her quirky, supportive friends as she deals with her life falling apart. Read the emails that tell the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good Romantic Comedy. Book 2: Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding Coco thinks she's on the road to happily ever after with Adam, until he inexplicably breaks up with her. Will one mistake cost them their whole future? Coco sets out to discover what has really happened, and uncovers a shocking secret Adam has been hiding from her... Full of hilarious twists and turns, Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding is a witty, heart-warming, romantic comedy - the stand-alone sequel to no.1 bestselling, The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard. Book 3: Coco Pinchard, the Consequences of Love and Sex Coco Pinchard has a great life, a bestselling memoir, and a handsome second husband. Things are going exactly as planned -- until her adult son runs into disaster, her ex's mother butts back into her life, and she finds out she's pregnant! Maybe life is more fun if you throw your plans out the window... The third book in the bestselling Coco Pinchard series is a hilarious diary with Coco's trademark wit and honesty, tracing the raging hormones and extraordinary twists that take her to motherhood for the second time. Book 4: A Very Coco Christmas A Very Coco Christmas is a delicious, stand-alone prequel short story to the smash-hit Coco Pinchard series. It's 1985, and eighteen-year-old Coco Pinchard is home for Christmas after her first term at University. She's fallen hopelessly in love with Daniel Pinchard, but Coco's mother wants her to be with Kenneth, the son of posh friends Adrian and Yvonne Rosebury, who will be joining them for Christmas. As snow falls softly over the city, and Coco tries to juggle a series of hilarious events, the stage is set for a Christmas lunch like no other. Book 5: Coco Pinchard's Must-Have Toy Story A sparkling feel-good comedy, which asks the question - how far would you go to get your child the must-have Christmas toy? It's December 1992, and children are going crazy for the Tracy Island toy - almost as crazy as the parents! Christmas day is fast approaching and Coco Pinchard is desperately trying to track one down for her four-year-old son Rosencrantz. From dodgy dealings in a motorway lay-by, to extreme shopping in Hamley's with a Sylvanian Families fanatic, to having a go at the Blue Peter make-your-own Tracy Island, Coco tries everything in the hope that Rosencrantz can open the must-have toy on Christmas morning.
Difficult Men
Author: Brett Martin
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143125699
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 337
Book Description
The 10th anniversary edition, now with a new preface by the author "A wonderfully smart, lively, and culturally astute survey." - The New York Times Book Review "Grand entertainment...fascinating for anyone curious about the perplexing miracles of how great television comes to be." - The Wall Street Journal "I love this book...It's the kind of thing I wish I'd been able to read in film school, back before such books existed." - Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the landscape of television began an unprecedented transformation. While the networks continued to chase the lowest common denominator, a wave of new shows on cable channels dramatically stretched television’s narrative inventiveness, emotional resonance, and creative ambition. Combining deep reportage with critical analysis and historical context, Brett Martin recounts the rise and inner workings of this artistic watershed - a golden age of TV that continues to transform America's cultural landscape. Difficult Men features extensive interviews with all the major players - including David Chase (The Sopranos), David Simon and Ed Burns (The Wire), David Milch (NYPD Blue, Deadwood), Alan Ball (Six Feet Under), and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) - and reveals how television became a truly significant and influential part of our culture.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143125699
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 337
Book Description
The 10th anniversary edition, now with a new preface by the author "A wonderfully smart, lively, and culturally astute survey." - The New York Times Book Review "Grand entertainment...fascinating for anyone curious about the perplexing miracles of how great television comes to be." - The Wall Street Journal "I love this book...It's the kind of thing I wish I'd been able to read in film school, back before such books existed." - Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the landscape of television began an unprecedented transformation. While the networks continued to chase the lowest common denominator, a wave of new shows on cable channels dramatically stretched television’s narrative inventiveness, emotional resonance, and creative ambition. Combining deep reportage with critical analysis and historical context, Brett Martin recounts the rise and inner workings of this artistic watershed - a golden age of TV that continues to transform America's cultural landscape. Difficult Men features extensive interviews with all the major players - including David Chase (The Sopranos), David Simon and Ed Burns (The Wire), David Milch (NYPD Blue, Deadwood), Alan Ball (Six Feet Under), and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) - and reveals how television became a truly significant and influential part of our culture.