Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

An intelligent piece of cultural journalism. Armstrong doesn't create a guide to the series, or spend a lot of time on interviews with the cast; instead she takes much of this information from other sources, in this age of the internet. Instead, she seeks to place MTM in the larger story of television and its impact on culture in the '60s and '70s, particularly well done by exploring the roles of the executives, head writers, prominent females in an industry still fraught with sexism, and one slightly obsessed fan. It's a fascinating story that is able to really capture the challenges faced in the era.

At the same time, this IS a history of MTM as a show. The fantastic rise of White and Engel, the insecurities of Harper and McLeod, the ups-and-downs for Asner and Knight, and the challenges of working with Leachman - all captured objectively but thrillingly. And Moore emerges as a more complex figure than I had initially realised. As someone who only came to the show two years ago (and watched the entire run since then), this is just what I wanted.… (more)