Sweeps: Behind the Scenes in Network TV

by Mark Christensen, Cameron Stauth

Book by Christensen, Mark, Stauth, Cameron

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

Mark Christensen, a native of Oregon, is a journalist and author of several books, both fiction and non-fiction. His published works include THE SWEEPS: Behind the Scenes of Network TV, BUILD THE PERFECT BEAST, and most recently THE SO-CAL SPEED SHOP, winner of the Dean Bachelor Award for Best Automobile Book of 2006. A former editor of Oregon Magazine, his freelance writing has appeared in numerous publications, among them Wired, Playboy, TV Guide, Rolling Stone and the LA Times Sunday Magazine. In 1994, The Oregonian named his novel, ALOHA, as the best written by a northwest writer that year. A father of two children, Mark lives with his wife in Laguna Beach, California.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Cheers had as much chance of being popular as the Ayatollah Khomeini had of being elected governor of Iowa."

"...Tom Selleck, America's top TV womanizer, a guy so suave he could probably vomit through a straw.”

The Sweeps: Behind the Scenes in Network TV is woefully unfocused, as Christensen and Stauth devote many of their narrative threads to subjects barely tangential to the book’s titular promise, like producer Alan Katz trying to get his feature, The Hunchback of UCLA, into production; actor Corky Hubbert looking for his next paycheck; the making of a Jackson Browne video; Ed Asner running for a second term as SAG president; or a former MLB pitcher’s scheme to create a network of “franchised soap operas.”

Published in 1984, The Sweeps does, though, dig a little into the Cheers production in between it first and second seasons and goes at length into both NBC’s stellar 1983 Emmy success along with the dismal performance of that network’s slate of new shows in the fall (including Manimal, Mr. Smith, and Jennifer Slept Here).

[J.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid non-fiction narrative with many characters (probably too many, which is one flaw). Lots of changes were happening in the TV industry in 1983-4, including cable and HBO’s rise, and failed plans for things like regional soap operas (imagine Dallas but for your city) and various new technologies.

The most interesting parts though are following the early careers of Ted Danson, Corky Hubbert (a little person whose role in Ballad of the Sad Cafe is what led me to this book), the guy from Night Court, struggling writers, and established producers. In the world in which this book was written, Cheers was in danger of being canceled after a season or two.

I would definitely like to read similar books about the 90s, HBO’s rise, eventually streaming, etc.