Stealing the Show, Joy Press
Stealing the Show, Joy Press
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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Stealing the Show
How Women Are Revolutionizing Television

Author: Joy Press

Narrator: Christina Delaine

Unabridged: 11 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/15/2018


Synopsis

Female writers, directors, and producers have radically transformed the television industry in recent years. Shonda Rhimes, Lena Dunham, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling: These extraordinary women have shaken up the entertainment landscape, making it look like an equal opportunity dream factory.

But things weren't always this rosy. It took decades of determination in the face of preconceived ideas and outright prejudice to reach this new era. In this endlessly informative and wildly entertaining book, veteran journalist Joy Press tells the story of the maverick women who broke through the barricades, starting with Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) and Diane English (Murphy Brown), whose iconic shows redefined America's idea of "family values" and incited controversy that reached as far as the White House.

Barr and English inspired the next generation of female TV writers and producers to carve out the creative space and executive power needed to present radically new representations of women on the small screen. Showrunners like Amy Sherman Palladino (Gilmore Girls), Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange Is the New Black), and Jill Soloway (Transparent) created characters and storylines that changed how women are seen and how they see themselves, in the process transforming the culture.

About Joy Press

Joy Press has been writing about TV for more than fifteen years. In the 2000s, she was the chief television critic at the Village Voice. She later served as entertainment editor of Salon and then as an editor at the Los Angeles Times, where in addition to commissioning television coverage, she wrote and reported features on the medium. She has contributed to publications such as the New York Times, Slate, Vogue, Salon, and the Guardian. She lives in Los Angeles.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Theresa

If you’re a fan of Orange is the New Black or Scandal or Grey’s Anatomy or Broad City or Transparent or 30 Rock (among others discussed in these pages), this nonfiction book about the struggles and strides of the women behind the camera should be interesting to you. With the exception of Murphy Brow......more

Goodreads review by Jessica

I don't read a lot of nonfiction, I expect it to be work. This book is so far from work that I honestly wanted to work more. Divided into chapters, most devoted to individual show runners, this is mostly a book that tells a basic story of a groundbreaking television show. None of these chapters are......more

Goodreads review by Mandy

I'd definitely recommend it if you're a fan of any of the shows highlighted in this book. Women on and behind the camera have come a long way, but there's still a long way to go.......more

Goodreads review by Miz

timely and very well-written, but it lost a star for its lena dunham section, which was better than i thought it would be, but was still annoyingly protective of her.......more