books | "desperate networks"

by bill carter. (hardcover, 2006)

With no singular narrative thrust, Carter's insider tale of turn-of-the-century broadcast television meanders over a lot of ground. There is no "Late Shift"-level crisis bringing this together (though the Conan-Jay succession plan merits half a chapter), and as such the book is free to broad-stroke five years of industry highlights.

The most potentially scandalous events could not be treated less casually. Instead, the narrative drama plays out in executive offices where suits toil over whether to commit to some of the decade's biggest hits. The inspiration for the cribbed title gets the lion's share of attention, as Marc Cherry toils in obscurity on the road to his Desperate Housewives fortune. Lost and Survivor are also thoroughly addressed.

I am too dorkily interested in the material to be an impartial judge about its quality. The Zucker stuff is interesting in the wake of the potential NBC-Comcast merger and of course NBC's Conan-Jay debacle. I'd forgotten a lot of Fox's salacious reality efforts, and Carter puts the blame for those at the feet of Mike Darnell. I do have a better idea of the corporate posturing that led to the last decade of television, but unless you are predisposed to care (a lot), this is one to skim or skip.