Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time

Ken Bloom, Frank Vlastnik

Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007 - Performing Arts - 335 pages

The most beloved, most groundbreaking, and most entertaining TV comedies of all time are celebrated in words and pictures—many of them rare—by the award-winning authors of Broadway Musicals.

In 101 lively chapters and lots of special features, the authors of Broadway Musicals explore our favorite form of popular entertainment—the TV situation comedy. Of the many hundreds of shows that have debuted over TV's 60-year history, the authors have carefully selected the most influential, popular, and enduring ones, from Gilligan's Island to Seinfeld, I Love Lucy to Will and Grace, creating a history of the medium that goes beyond stats and trivia to reveal all that goes into the creation of classic television, from the writing and all-important casting to the directing and, of course, the acting.

Each chapter of Sitcoms features numerous photos, many rare and behind-the-scenes, along with cast lists, artists' biographies, "off-set" tidbits, critical commentary, and all of the relevant statistics. Special features cover such topics as famous unseen characters, sitcom pets, spin-offs, sitcoms made from movies, and many more. It's a visual and informative feast for TV lovers, from nostalgia buffs to the TV Land generation.

About the author

Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik are the co-authors of Sitcoms.nbsp; Bloom is the author of The American Songbook: The Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs; Jerry Herman: The Lyrics; and a two-volume history of Twentieth Century-Fox music, among other books. He lives in New York City.

Frank Vlastnik and Ken Bloom are the co-authors of Sitcoms. Vlastnik is an actor who appeared in the original casts of the Broadway musicals Big, Sweet Smell of Success, and A Year with Frog and Toad. He lives in New York City.

John Lithgow was born on October 19, 1945 in Rochester, NY. He went to Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1967. After graduation, Lithgow won a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He has won four Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2005, he became the first actor ever to deliver a commencement speech at Harvard University. In addition to acting, he is the author of many books for children. He lives in Los Angeles.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time
• Authors: Ken Bloom, Frank Vlastnik
• Contributor: John Lithgow
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007
• ISBN: 1579127525, 9781579127527
• Length: 335 pages
• Subjects: Performing Arts / Television / History & Criticism