PANDORA'S BOX

A film critic’s detailed history of the writers and executives driving the era of “Peak TV.”

In his latest examination of the entertainment industry, Biskind begins with the creation of HBO in the early 1970s and its gradual journey from showing premier sports events, comedy specials, and racy documentaries to the world of scripted original programming. HBO’s shift was neither obvious nor guaranteed, but the company’s ability to construct a daring and creative home for writers and showrunners fleeing the constraints of network TV changed the course of broadcast cable, set the bar for the emerging streaming business, and even blinded HBO to its own vulnerabilities. Biskind follows this impact with an audit of inflection points like the rise of sleeper cable networks like AMC and the creation of Netflix and Disney+, and he explores many of the most significant shows of the last two decades, including The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Oz, and Justified. As the story moves on from HBO’s early days, the narrative devolves, as the author sacrifices linear organization and meaningful commentary in favor of gossip about corporate acquisitions, executive egos, and creative cross-pollination. As in his 1998 bestseller, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, Biskind builds his text from first-person quotes gleaned from countless conversations he has had over decades with key players in the field, and his amusing barbs pepper the text. Rather than a synthesized assessment of the “upending” of TV, this is primarily the story of the obsessions and idiosyncrasies of the industry’s higher-ups and their relationships and tensions with each other. While these personalities have had an outsized and still-relevant influence on changes to both the small screen and the entertainment industry as a whole, their professional sagas are neither compelling nor surprising. The book becomes repetitive, confusing, and tiresome, a missed opportunity to combine Biskind’s obviously thorough knowledge, distinct vantage point, and droll wit with coherent analysis and insight.

An intermittently interesting look behind the scenes of prestige TV that falls short.