Siegel's feisty writing makes for a provocative read. He writes with refreshingly little regard to fashion or reputation, and does not shy from strong opinions.
Siegel is a judicious observer of television as a tributary flowing into the ocean of mass American culture
[Siegel] explores television's use as a lens through which to look at history, human nature, and American culture, you're going to find yourself surfing TV in a new and thrilling way, as Siegel ducks, bobs, and slaloms from concept to concept, tying together themes that seem unlikely to have many points of contact in common, and yet that snap together like puzzle pieces in Siegel's hands.
His is commentary that the world's most powerful medium deserves.
renowned cultural critic and blog-fiasco creator Lee Siegel turns his sharp wit on the tube with this collection of essays.
Siegel's pugnacious elegance runs through this collection of TV reviews for the Nation
In this book of collected television criticism, Siegel channel surfs and rides every wave, and no genre of programming escapes his analysis. Siegel, a senior editor at the New Republic, plumbs game shows, reality programming, cartoons, sitcoms, miniseries and iconic personalities with equitable rigor and flare. Above all, this collection showcases Siegel's talent as a semiotician, as he unmasks and dismantles the value systems at work behind popular shows. Siegel proclaims that "the television critic's job is not really to pass judgment at all. It's merely to announce a new reference point." Luckily, the author rarely adheres to his own rule. While Siegel announces cultural referents aplenty, amid discussion of Baudrillard's "Simulacra," the post 9/11 "Irony Controversy," the Frankfurt school of criticism and the "august status" of contemporary fiction, perhaps his greatest strength as a critic is his ability to tell what's good from what's bad. There are as many surprising victors as there are victims. Siegel stands firm that Jon Stewart's comedy is poisoning politics and the work of Ken Burns "brings Caucasian condescension to a new low," while Friendshas "lent dignity to ordinary experience." One of Siegel's favorite modes, as well as one of his favorite words, is "deconstruction." Thankfully, Siegel deconstructs as a means to an end: to discern quality programming from drivel. (July)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Siegel (Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination) informally reflects on all aspects of television-as art form, a cultural and business phenomenon, and sociological/psychological commentary-studying a cross section of categories including drama, cartoons (e.g., SpongeBob SquarePants), comedy (e.g., Curb Your Enthusiasm), games (e.g., Deal or No Deal), sitcoms, news, reality television, and more. From short-lived hits such as Joan of Arcadia, to HBO's Deadwood, to the documentary Ghosts of Rwanda, Siegel covers a lot of ground, describing the singular allure of a particular show, offering comparisons to historical predecessors, discussing influences on popular culture, and underlining relevance to various issues. In the section about cop shows, for example, he tips his hat to such early productions as Dragnetand Adam-12and discusses the subsequent development through Kojak, CSI: New York, Monk, and others, exploring their increasingly complex on-screen characters, situations, and story lines. Siegel is not afraid to digress or present his opinions honestly. Originally published in the New Republic, for which Siegel was a television critic, these essays create a stimulating volume that will especially appeal to television enthusiasts and students of popular culture. For circulating libraries.
—Carol J. Binkowski
Hit-and-mostly-miss collection of 50-plus New Republic essays over-intellectualizing the boob tube's not particularly intellectual output. As the magazine's television reporter from 2003 to 2006, Siegel (Falling Upwards, 2006, etc.) was paid to spend hours parked in front of the TV (watching cop shows, game shows, made-for-TV movies, you name it), then preach about their virtues, or lack thereof. Many of the programs the New Republic asked Siegel to dissect-e.g., Joey, The O.C., Deal or No Deal-do not merit the author's time or energy, as the shows are A) mindless entertainment and B) will be soon forgotten. Another problem with this anthology is that Siegel spends too much brainpower on product that's created strictly as escapism. Writing about the goofy but entertaining food-as-sport show Iron Chef America, he notes that, "In Soviet Russia, revolution, counterrevolution, endurance, and dissent all were hatched in the kitchen." He might be right, but the pronouncement is misplaced and off-putting. Collection highlights include thoughtful articles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Extras and Deadwood, providing a spotlight on shows that justify sharp analysis. Those interested in the modern television landscape should turn to Bill Carter's Desperate Networks (2006), a fine work of straight-up journalism that offers critical insight into today's television scene-and Carter wasn't even trying.
