Television Without Pity: 752 Things We Love to Hate (and Hate to Love) about TV

Ariano and Bunting, the brains behind Televisionwithpity.com, have assembled a wickedly funny encyclopedia of TV's people, plots, formulas and quirky phenomena, and loaded it with irreverent commentary. A typical entry, such as the one for Laverne & Shirley, begins with ""Lord, what a terrible show,"" and only gets nastier from there, culminating in a list of cross-references both useful and shameful: ""Bad Sitcom, Sure Signs of; Canned Laughter, Manipulation by/of; Marshall, Garry; Neighbors, Intrusive."" Everyone who has hit stardom because of television is good-naturedly skewered, as in the case of ""the ham that ate Pittsburgh,"" William Shatner, a subject so worthy he gets two helpings of barbs-one in his eponymous entry and one in ""Shatner, William, Legendarily Awesome Saturday Night Live Appearance of."" Other entries get more general (such as ""Sexual Tension, Ruination of Show by Resolving"") while others go delightfully specific (the very next entry, on the Family Ties theme song lyric ""Sha La La La!""). Addictively entertaining, this book will make a compulsive treat for TV addicts, trivia enthusiasts and those who enjoy looking down their nose at America's chief pastime.