Mental Floss The Curious Viewer: A Miscellany of Bingeable Streaming TV Shows from the Past Twenty Years

by Jennifer M. Wood, The Team at Mental Floss

Overview

Need a new show to binge? Want to learn behind-the-scenes insights about your favorite series? Then Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer is for you!

From Mental Floss, the premier online destination for curious minds, comes a deep dive into the greatest television shows from the last 20 years. Filled with little-known facts and lists of must-see shows, this fascinating collection includes:

The hardest role to cast on Game of Thrones • The DEA’s involvement in Breaking Bad • The lost Black-ish episode deemed too divisive for TV • The real-life inspiration for Mad Men’s Don Draper • The identity of “Ugly Naked Guy” on Friends • When George Lucas sued Battlestar Galactica • How Curb Your Enthusiasm saved a man from the death penalty • When Doctor Who’s TARDIS went to court • The story behind Law & Order’s iconic “dun-dun” sound effect

Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer also contains many of Mental Floss’s famously fascinating lists, such as Actors Who Asked for Their Characters to Be Killed Off, The Most-Watched TV Series Finales Ever, TV Characters Who Were Inspired by Real People, Bizarre TV Crossovers, Amazing One-Season Shows, Important Moments in LGBTQ+ History on TV, and Unforgettable Television Cliff-Hangers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681887869
Publisher:	Weldon Owen
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,049,953
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jennifer M. Wood is the managing editor of Mental Floss and oversees the site's entertainment and pop culture content. Her writing has appeared in various publications, including WIRED, Condé Nast Traveler, Vulture, GQ, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

24 10

30 Rock The Story of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 14

The Americans 18

Arrested Development 5 TV Shows Saved by Streaming 22

Atlanta 26

Battlestar Galactica When George Lucas Sued Battlestar Galactica 29

Better Call Saul 6 Binge-Worthy TV Spin-Offs 33

The Big Sang Theory 5 Bingeable Comic Book-Based TV Shows 38

Black-ish "Please, Baby, Please": The Lost Black-ish Episode Deemed Too Divisive for TV 42

Breaking Bad 5 Actors Who Asked for Their Characters to Be Killed Off 46

Broad City 5 Classic Comedy Central Shows 51

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 55

Call the Midwife 59

The Chi 7 of Showtime's Most Binge-Worthy Series 62

The Crown 10 Most Expensive TV Series 66

Curb Your Enthusiasm When Larry David Saved a Man from the Death Penalty + 5 TV Shows That Were Improvised 71

Deadwood 6 Other Times Timothy Olyphant Played a Laconic Lawman + 5 TV Characters Who Were Inspired by Real People 76

Dexter Death Becomes Him: Michael C. Hall Talks Six Feet Under 82

Doctor Who When Douglas Adams's Abandoned Doctor Who Episode Finally Saw the Light of Day-Nearly Forty Years Later + 8 of the Most Bingeable Sci-Fi Series 86

Downton Abbey 10 Great Movies That Sprung from TV Shows + 5 TV Homes You Can Visit 92

Fargo Bad Hair Is a Fargo Tradition + The 1997 Fargo Series That Never Took Off 97

Fleabag 6 Binge-Worthy Amazon Original Series to Add to Your Watchlist 102

Freaks and Geeks 5 Amazing One-Season Shows 106

Friday Night Lights TV's Greatest Coaches + 5 TV Shows Saved by Their Fans 110

Friends Watching Friends Could Help Ease Your Anxiety + 10 Most-Watched TV Series Finales Ever 114

Game of Thrones 120

Gilmore Girls 6 Defunct Shows That Were Brought Back from the Dead 124

Glee 7 Great TV Shows for Musk Lovers 128

Gossip Girl 20 Teen Dramas to Binge 133

Grey's Anatomy 4 People Who Regretted Leaving Hit TV Shows 138

The Handmaid's Tale 4 Intriguing Dystopian TV Shows + 8 Hulu Original Series You Should Add to Your Watchlist 143

Hannibal 10 Movies Turned TV Shows 147

Insecure 151

Which Reality Show Is Right For Me? 154

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 5 of the Longest-Running TV Series 156

Law & Order The Law & Order Universe, Explored + The "Dun-Dun" Effect 160

The Leftovers 164

Lost 5 Unforgettable TV Cliff-hangers 168

Mad Men Mad Women 174

Mr. Robot 4 Bizarre TV Crossovers 178

Modem Family 7 Mockumentary-Style Sitcoms to Binge 183

The Office (UK) 6 TV Shows America Nicked from the Brits 187

The Office (US) 192

Orange Is the New Black 5 Fascinating Facts About Netflix 196

Outlander 10 Bingeable Books Turned TV Shows 201

Ozark 40 Great Original Netflix Series 205

Paths and Recreation 210

Peaky Blinders 25 Bingeable Period Dramas 213

Pose 19 Important Moments in LGBTQ History on TV 218

Setoff's Creek 13 Shows That Benefited from the "Netflix Bump" 222

Sex and the City 7 HBO Series You Should Add to Your Watchlist 226

Sherlock 231

The Shield 7 Arresting Cop Dramas to Watch Next 235

The Simpsons John Swartzwelder: Springfield's Man of Mystery 239

Sons of Anarchy When Stephen King Showed Up on Sons of Anarchy 244

The Sopranos When The Sopranos Blacked Out 248

Stranger Things Netflix Knows Exactly When You Got Hooked on Stranger Things + 6 Minor Characters Who Gained Cult Followings 253

Transparent 258

True Blood 11 of TV's Fiercest Vampires 261

The Walking Dead 266

The West Wing 9 Must-Watch Political Shows 270

The Wire 5 Fantastic Pilots 275

The X-Files 5 Must-Watch Supernatural Shows + 6 TV Spin-Offs You Didn't Know Existed 281

The Best TV Series Finales of All Time 287

Mental Floss Recommends 289

Acknowledgements 295

Index 297

Editorial Reviews

08/23/2021

Editor Wood and the team at Mental Floss share a handy reference companion, chock-full of entertaining trivia and behind-the-scenes facts, to some of the biggest shows in television. “There’s no arguing that we’re currently in a Golden Age of Television,” writes Wood. Names from the past 20 years—from the eternally quotable Friends to Netflix’s sci-fi hit Stranger Things and HBO’s overlooked gem Deadwood—are highlighted in a list of more than 50 shows spanning every genre. There aren’t any explosive revelations, but the background information included is fascinating, nonetheless: fans of Battlestar Galactica will delight in knowing that the show’s writers also weren’t sure what happened to Starbuck in the series finale, while followers of Fleabag’s “Hot Priest” may (or may not) be surprised to learn that “a second season might never have even happened” had actor Andrew Scott turned down the role. While “it would be impossible to mention all the TV shows we love in a single volume,” the editors ensure no terrific series (even the more obscure, like AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire) goes unmentioned, in succinct roundups covering everything from “Amazing One-Season Shows” to best series finales and staff favorites. This is the ultimate bingeing guide. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Bingers, beware! This is a must-read, factoid-filled miscellany of the most watchable shows of the past 20 years. If you know a TV expert, now you can make them, well, a TV insider."

TV Insider

"The perfect coffee-table book for people who constantly crave obscure pop culture facts."

Wired

The Curious Viewer unearths everything you ever wanted to know about beloved shows. Jennifer M. Wood shares facts and behind-the-scenes gossip from each show but somehow doesn’t make you feel like you’ve already read them all in a Buzzfeed article."

BookPage

An incredible gift for a bookish pop culture lover....whoever gets their hands on this will burn through it and become the most amazing television historian in no time.

The Inventory

"The perfect coffee-table book for people who constantly crave obscure pop culture facts."

Wired

12/01/2021

In this diverting collection examining TV series from the past two decades, "compulsive binge-watcher" and Mental Floss managing editor Wood carries on the blog's tradition of "smart, quirky content presented in a witty, upbeat voice." Wood has compiled summaries, cast lists, notable episodes, infographics, and photos galore. Contributors revisit shows like Friends, Battlestar Galactica, and Black-ish, make the case for the programs' cultural impact and why it matters, hit the high points (occasionally with spoilers), and share behind-the-scenes tidbits. Snappy writing and insider details abound. VERDICT Streaming services, reboots, and syndication make all of these shows accessible. Likely to see heavy use in most libraries.

Library Journal