Reviews

The Cult TV Book: From Star Trek to Dexter, New Approaches to TV Outside the Box by Stacey Abbott

bwep's review

informative medium-paced

1.5

stephgraves's review

4.0

Although not as in depth as I would occasionally like, this is an excellent overview of cult TV and the shows that make up the body thereof.

shanbear16's review

4.0

It's like this book was written with me in mind! Academic writings on television I adore! The essays in this book are well written and interesting. They offer excellent citations for further reading, and it's obvious that the authors are knowledgeable about what they are writing. I took off a star because I found several errors (name misspellings, or in one case where the author referred to Sam and Dean Winchester as twins).

pollypickapocket's review

informative reflective slow-paced

twirlsandwhirls's review

4.0

I really liked this anthology because the subject matter is super interesting and they Stacey Abbot did a great job of showing many aspects of the culture surrounding cult TV. This anthology wasn't edited amazingly but it didn't suck me out of this book because the essays chosen had some interesting things to say. They varied in subject from what cult TV is, cult TV show analysis, fan culture, US/British network strategies as they relate to cult TV, and the digital age. I'm sure there's more. Also, the contributors ranged from TV writers like Jane Espenson to tie-in and fan fiction writers.

It wasn't all good, though. Some essays dragged on and on. Others were poorly written or overly complicated. I also thought it was a bit much to have an entire chapter/section devoted to British children's cult TV but it is a British book so maybe I'm in the wrong. Overall, this was a great purchase. I learned a ton and gained new perspectives about TV shows that I love.

The Buffyverse was well represented. I'm pleased.