Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV

By Warren Littlefield, T.R.Pearson

Four out of Five Stars

I'm a sucker for oral history books (I believe that's what they're called). Books that tell the story one quote after another by the various participants. Nonetheless, the subject matter still has to be interesting. Reading about "Must See TV" might seem frivolous, but then again we can all use some frivolity in our lives.

Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV is a fun read, taking us from the creation of Cheers back in the day when NBC couldn't seem to get anyone to create shows from them, through the success of such shows as Seinfeld, Friends, Mad About You, ER, Law & Order and others. We're given insight into how these shows were developed and the behind-the-scenes thoughts of the TV executives. Often we take these past shows for granted, and fail to understand how ground-breaking some of them were, like Will & Grace, which was breaking new ground in it's day with four leads and two of them gay characters.

What I got from the book and from Warren Littlefield's time bringing those shows to TV, was it's important to trust the talent. He took chances you could say, or he didn't take chances, because he always surrounded himself and his shows with talented people. With them in place, the risk was minimized. We also discover that in entertainment, very few believe in anything. The trick is to take credit for when something succeeds, and find a scapegoat for when it doesn't.

Top of the Rock is a fast read; something to engage in between those more challenging reads. And, when you discover Jerry Seinfeld walked away from $110 million for one last year of his show, you have to think this book is fiction, because who'd ever believe that?!