New Book Shines a Light on the “Darkness In Primetime”

It's likely that if you are even a semi-regular reader of Comfort TV you also follow Mitchell Hadley’s blog, “It’s About TV.” We’re both still at it after more than a decade, while so many other blogs once listed at the Classic TV Blog Association have gradually fallen away (where have you gone, Michael’s TV Tray?).

Mitchell’s new book, Darkness in Primetime, is an expanded and more in-depth treatment of some of the shows covered in his blog under the title “Descent into Hell.” It adds several more examples of shows that tried to warn us where our culture is headed, too easily dismissed at the time as nothing more than an hour or so of provocative entertainment.

We really should have listened. 

But then, who could really have guessed where we were headed back then? You wouldn’t think a 1963 episode of The Outer Limits (“The Architects of Fear”) could have foretold how the US would react to the COVID pandemic nearly 60 years later. But the wisdom conveyed in that story had clearly been long forgotten.

From shows both popular (Star Trek, The Twilight Zone) and obscure (Kraft Television Theatre, Mobil Showcase), Mitchell has uncovered insight into the dangerous encroachment of relativism in truth and morality, the inherent bias in media, and what happens when authorities in politics and science play God without any of the necessary qualifications.

Indeed, many of these shows that would fall generally into the science fiction genre may have been viewed as paranoid fantasies when first broadcast. Some of the critics back then certainly thought so (as always, Mitchell brings the receipts for his arguments). But is anyone laughing now about concerns over near sentient computers and artificial intelligence?

Each chapter in Darkness in Primetime had me wondering if some of those errant paths could have been avoided. But an episode like “The Invasion of Kevin Ireland,” about a man whose life is destroyed by a corporate research firm, shows how there is still work to be done.

That episode of The Bold Ones: The Lawyers aired in 1971. In 2025 how casually do we enter personal information into online forms, or share details about our lives on social media, with no thought to how that data in the wrong hands could be weaponized? Another lesson ignored.

The experience of reading this book prompted much regretful head-shaking over our collective societal shortcomings, it also brought renewed appreciation for the writers, directors and performers of these outstanding programs. I’m now looking forward to watching many of them again, and seeking out those I’ve missed.

You can order Darkness in Primetime here

Two Great New Books For the Comfort TV Fan

I’ve written about my favorite classic TV books in the past, and it’s always a joy when new ones appear that deserve a place in your collection. At a time when the market has never been more under-served, I am delighted to offer not one but two enthusiastic recommendations.

First up: The Electronic Mirror, written by my fellow classic TV blogger Mitchell Hadley. If you like Comfort TV you would also enjoy reading Hadley’s wonderful It’s About TV blog. You might even enjoy it more, but if you do keep that to yourself. 

The book’s subtitle is “What classic TV tells us about who we were and who we are.” The short answer to that is “Quite a bit.” For the longer answer, pick up the book.

As someone of the author’s approximate age and life experience, I found myself in agreement with many of his conclusions; the loss of the common cultural touchstones that television used to provide, before there were 400 channels and time-shifting technology; the communal experience of TV watching that has also disappeared; the worldview portrayed and the values expressed in shows from an earlier era, that might seem strange, foreign, perhaps even offensive to current generations ­– and why such condemnation is short-sighted. 

Preaching to the converted? Absolutely. I nodded with every page turn like a Republican watching Hannity. But one does not have to prefer the Clampetts to the Kardashians to enjoy The Electronic Mirror. Anyone with a broader interest in the evolution of pop culture will find much to discover here: how cop shows from Dragnet to Law and Order may influence our perspective on crime and punishment; how one episode of a nearly forgotten series called Medic says as much about views on marriage and family in the 1950s as a sociology textbook; how situation comedies from the 1960s helped America win the Cold War (really!) 

This is a book from someone that gets it – why these shows are not just entertaining but important, and worthy of thoughtful study and reflection.

From this outside look into classic TV, we now turn to an inside look at how some of its shows were created, through the memories of the men and women who wrote them.

Sitcom Writers Talk Shop features interviews with 16 remarkable writers, including Carl Reiner, Norman Lear, Leonard Stern, James L. Brooks, Larry Charles and David Lee. In addition, there are Forewords by Ed Asner and Carol Kane. 

This is familiar terrain for author Paula Finn, whose father, Herb Finn, wrote for

The Flintstones, Gilligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch, among others. Part of her childhood was spent on the sets of such TV classics as The Patty Duke Show, Mr. Ed and That Girl – experiences that surely sound like a dream come true for so many of us who longed to enter those fictional worlds for a little while. 

Finn uses the Q & A format for her interviews, which is one I’ve always liked. Especially here, when the content provided by interviewees is the sole purpose for the existence of a book like this. She asks the questions most of us would ask to these writers, and then lets them take the floor.

There are familiar stories here –  Reiner on creating The Dick Van Dyke Show, Lear on his battles over the controversial content in All In The Family. But there is much else to savor, such as how Leonard Stern recalled the challenges of working for Jackie Gleason, and the hilarious ‘notes’ he gathered from networks. One of them complained that there was “too much dancing” in a Fred Astaire special.

I’ve always liked seeing the names of married couple Austin and Irma Kalish in the credits, so I was especially pleased to get to know them better, and to learn how they could catch the rhythms and sensibilities of sitcoms as different as Family Affair and Maude. And did Treva Silverman really write a couple of memorable Mary Tyler Moore Show episodes with a creative boost from marijuana? 

The one caveat for fans of the Comfort TV era is that the last third of the book focuses on shows that aired in the 1990s and beyond – most notably The Simpsons. But even here it’s interesting to see how the shows have changed but the approach to how they are crafted has not.

One gets the feeling that all of these writers, despite dealing with temperamental stars and humorless network executives and silly censors, still had the time of their lives.

Both The Electronic Mirror and Sitcom Writers Talk Shop are available from Amazon.

TV Books, and The Book That Inspired Comfort TV

If you love classic TV, there’s a good chance you also enjoy books about classic TV.

I know I do. In fact I’ve built quite a collection over the years. I’ve also been lucky enough to get to know several people who contributed volumes to this genre.

When I shared a publisher with Brenda Scott Royce I was able to tell her how much I enjoyed her Hogan’s Heroes book. 

I met Chris Mann (Come and Knock on Our Door: A Hers and Hers and His Guide to Three’s Company) through a mutual friend and we had dinner once about 20 years ago. I think we’re due for another one.

I’ve enjoyed conversing on Facebook with Ed Robertson, who penned excellent volumes on The Fugitive and The Rockford Files – and he was kind enough to invite me on his TV Confidential radio show after reading something he enjoyed here. I’m hoping he’ll share this piece on his page since he has more Facebook friends than I do. 

Judith Moose has written some of the most remarkably detailed books about the shows she loves, including Dynasty and Remington Steele. The Steele book now goes for more than 100 bucks on amazon. We’ve discussed projects but nothing has come of that yet. Maybe one day. 

I interviewed Herbie J. Pilato (Bewitched Forever) for one of my books and applaud his ongoing efforts to honor and celebrate the era of TV we both love.

Kathryn Leigh Scott has written several books about Dark Shadows, and no one could be better qualified as she was one of the show’s most popular stars. 

She published them through her own company, Pomegranate Press, which also published my Charlie’s Angels book. While I was signing that book at a Dark Shadows convention I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mark Dawidziak, whose book about Kolchak: The Night Stalker was also a Pomegranate Press title.

And if your TV tastes extend into the godless dark ages of the 21^st century, I am happy to recommend Craig Byrne’s excellent Smallville companion volumes. 

Craig and I originally bonded over our mutual affection for Breakfast Time, an ambitious and sometimes-anarchic morning show that aired on the fX network from 1994-1996. In fact, we both loved it enough to travel to New York to be a part of the fun.

All in all as delightful a group of people as you’re likely to meet. Though in the interest of full disclosure I should acknowledge I also crossed paths with one TV book writer who was a miserable human being. It really surprised me at the time, though his crudeness and belligerence at least spared me a Ninth Commandment violation, as I never had to lie and tell him I enjoyed his books. Cause I didn’t, even before I found out he was a jerk.

There is one book that predates all of these, that set me on the path toward my own contributions to the genre and to this blog. I first read it in 1986 when I was 22 and I still have that original copy, though with its tattered cover and crumbling spine it’s on the verge of disintegration.

The book is Cult TV by John Javna. 

I don’t even remember the circumstances of how I acquired it now. But I do recall that I was sick with a flu when I began reading it, and it not only raised my spirits it opened up a world of interest in shows that at that time I had not yet experienced.

Today we associate ‘cult’ more with sci-fi and fantasy entertainment, not mainstream programs like The Odd Couple and Perry Mason (both among the 75 shows profiled in Javna’s book). But 30 years ago the term was more appropriate, as there was a cultish quality to fanbases who loved a TV show – any show – enough to tape episodes off-air and trade them, write and distribute fanzines, and collect photos and memorabilia.

The shows Javna selected run the gamut from pioneering 1950s classics (I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Twilight Zone) to 1960s standouts (The Wild, Wild West, Mission: Impossible, The Dick Van Dyke Show) to ‘70s shows both traditional and bizarre (The Rockford Files, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Taxi). 

For each entry he provides an introduction that explains why the show has a cult following, brief bios of its cast, top five lists of classic episodes and lines to listen for, a generous selection of photos, and behind the scenes anecdotes and trivia.  

And he had to put it all together without access to full runs of the shows or a not-yet-available internet.

The text is breezy and fun, appreciative and respectful of both the shows and the people who love them. This shines through especially in the collection of ‘fan letters’ to some of the shows from their biggest advocates. Novelist and one-time Dick Tracy comic writer Max Allan Collins contributes a heartfelt tribute to Jack Webb and Dragnet, while Monkees fanzine publisher Maggie McManus assured closet fans, “you’re not alone anymore.”

Television was already an interest when I read Cult TV, but Javna introduced me to several shows I had yet to encounter. His praise of “The Architects of Fear” episode of The Outer Limits, and explanations of why shows like Rat Patrol and Blake’s 7 were worth seeking out, made me realize how much great TV there was out there, waiting to be discovered. And I was also happy to finally find someone who shared my appreciation for Super Chicken. 

When I started this blog, one of my goals was to invoke the same feelings in my readers that I experienced when I first read Cult TV. I want to create an interest in shows and episodes you’ve never watched, and share happy memories of those you already love. I enjoy pointing out unique elements in certain shows, and discussing how they reflected the country and the culture into which they were broadcast.

For all of the TV books that have been written since 1985, and the TV websites that offer their own accolades, I would still recommend Cult TV as one of the best primers for explaining the appeal of so many classic shows. I hope that Comfort TV in some small way is able to continue its legacy. 

The Bewitched Continuum, and Other Outstanding Classic TV Episode Guides

 

I love episode guides.

There are dozens of television show companion books in my library, and I particularly enjoy revisiting those that devote most of their pages to an in-depth examination of each episode from their respective series.

Books like this were plentiful 15-25 years ago, when there was more of a market for TV companion volumes. Back then, you could go into any bookstore and the “Film/TV” section would comprise an entire aisle. Today, that subject is lucky to secure a single shelf in the six or seven bookstores still in business. 

Since the advent of the Internet, episode guides have moved online – and almost all of them are crap. There are exceptions – “Family Affair Fridays” over at Embarrassing Treasures offers wonderfully insightful and frequently hilarious analysis of that charming sitcom, but most website guides provide nothing beyond episode titles, airdates and guest cast listings.

That’s why I was delighted when Adam-Michael James’s new The Bewitched Continuum landed with a Yellow Pages-like crash on my doorstep. It delivers more than 600 pages of Bewitched episode guide. That will either strike you as overkill or “Oh, yeah!” If you’re in the latter category, you’ll definitely want to check out this exhaustively researched chronicle. 

An episode guide does its job when it makes you want to take the journey through the series again. Not that most classic TV fans ever need an excuse. But a well-written guide offers the possibility of seeing something new in a 40 year-old TV show, or better understanding how a single episode fits within the context of the entire series. It adds to our appreciation of a creative work.

As I began reading The Bewitched Continuum I found myself learning things about shows that I have watched a dozen times. James provides a synopsis of each episode, followed by a review that focuses primarily on how consistent the show played by the rules it established for witches and witchcraft (short answer: not too well).

The author also points out the best moments in each show, offers renewed appreciation for the series’ still-impressive special effects, and cites examples of inspired dialogue (writers always appreciate good writing). In addition to the episode guide, he provides a by-the-numbers overview of Bewitched that tells us how many times Darrin was fired by Larry Tate (15) and how many times Endora calls Darrin “Durwood” (133!) among dozens of other trivia nuggets. 

If you enjoy books like The Bewitched Continuum, here are five other classic TV tomes with episode guides done right. I’ll refrain from including my own efforts in my Dukes of Hazzard and Charlie’s Angels books – that is for others to judge.

1. The Lucy Book (Geoffrey Mark Fidelman)

In one volume you’ll get detailed episode guides to I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy and Life With Lucy. The author is a  fan of his subject, but he is not afraid to call out episodes where Lucy was just going through the motions. 

2. Growing Up Brady (Barry Williams)

Very few classic TV actors would have any interest in sharing their thoughts on every episode of the series that made them famous. But here, Barry Williams offers the ultimate insider’s view of The Brady Bunch, including the episode where he was stoned on camera. 

3.  The Fugitive Recaptured (Ed Robertson)

One of television’s crown jewels deserves an episode guide worthy of its status. Ed Robertson delivers with discerning show reviews and interviews with cast members, producers, writers and series creator Roy Huggins. 

4. The Avengers Dossier (Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping)

It’s quirky, with star ratings for such categories as “Kinkiness Factor,” “Champagne” and “Eccentrics.” But The Avengers was a unique show that merits an equally off-kilter appraisal.

5. The First 28 Years of Monty Python (Kim “Howard” Johnson)

Monty Python historian Kim Johnson has written five books on the British comedy troupe. Here, every episode of the Flying Circus is described and dissected, along with quotes from all six Pythons on the stuff they liked, the stuff they didn’t, and what was censored for American broadcast.