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Dueñas del show
Guionistas, directoras, productoras, showrunners… en los últimos años, las mujeres han empezado a liderar una de las áreas principales de la industria del entretenimiento: las series de televisión. Shonda Rhimes, Lena Dunham, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling son algunas de las protagonistas de esta historia de superación y éxito, que han alterado profundamente el statu quo de la televisión convirtiéndola en una fábrica de sueños con igualdad de oportunidades.
Pero este no ha sido siempre un camino de rosas. Han hecho falta décadas de esfuerzo para derribar una estructura de poder férrea y vertical y muchos prejuicios que relegaban a la mujer a un segundo plano, apartada de la toma de decisiones y de cualquier tipo de protagonismo en el ámbito creativo o ejecutivo. Algunas pioneras independientes como Diane English (Murphy Brown) y Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) allanaron el terreno e inspiraron a la siguiente generación de guionistas, directoras y showrunners de éxito: Amy Sherman-Palladino (Las chicas Gilmore), Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange Is the New Black) y Jill Soloway (Transparent). Además de realizar productos audiovisuales de altísimo nivel, estas creadoras han contribuido a cambiar los roles de representación de la mujer en la cultura contemporánea.
Dueñas del show es la crónica de la transformación imparable de una de las industrias más importantes de nuestro tiempo, desde los años cincuenta del siglo pasado hasta la actualidad. Joy Press, periodista cultural con un lugar destacado en el mapa de la televisión americana, ha documentado este momento único y efervescente de nuestra cultura contemporánea de masas en que las mujeres han entrado en los despachos de las grandes cadenas con proyectos irresistibles, los han llevado a cabo con una factura impecable, han obtenido éxitos clamorosos de audiencia y se han ganado el respeto y la admiración de un público masivo.
Pero este no ha sido siempre un camino de rosas. Han hecho falta décadas de esfuerzo para derribar una estructura de poder férrea y vertical y muchos prejuicios que relegaban a la mujer a un segundo plano, apartada de la toma de decisiones y de cualquier tipo de protagonismo en el ámbito creativo o ejecutivo. Algunas pioneras independientes como Diane English (Murphy Brown) y Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) allanaron el terreno e inspiraron a la siguiente generación de guionistas, directoras y showrunners de éxito: Amy Sherman-Palladino (Las chicas Gilmore), Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange Is the New Black) y Jill Soloway (Transparent). Además de realizar productos audiovisuales de altísimo nivel, estas creadoras han contribuido a cambiar los roles de representación de la mujer en la cultura contemporánea.
Dueñas del show es la crónica de la transformación imparable de una de las industrias más importantes de nuestro tiempo, desde los años cincuenta del siglo pasado hasta la actualidad. Joy Press, periodista cultural con un lugar destacado en el mapa de la televisión americana, ha documentado este momento único y efervescente de nuestra cultura contemporánea de masas en que las mujeres han entrado en los despachos de las grandes cadenas con proyectos irresistibles, los han llevado a cabo con una factura impecable, han obtenido éxitos clamorosos de audiencia y se han ganado el respeto y la admiración de un público masivo.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
November 4, 2017
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 Brown that came out in 1987, it was rare to have women head writers or showrunners (if you saw 30 Rock, Tina Fey’s character played a showrunner—basically in charge the writers and making sure everything came together). The major broadcast networks ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox have not made great strides in this area. (CW is an exception). Variety found that of the new scripted shows being made for the 2017/2018 season, just 29 percent of the broadcast showrunners were female and thirty-five percent of the actors were.
Thanks to streaming channels and cable, there are many more opportunities for women to get experience—and hire other women so they, too, can get experience. Directing TV is a Catch-22—you won’t get hired if you don’t have experience, but you can’t get experience because no one will hire you.
I like history and examining the role women have played in it, including the history of the entertainment industry. I found this to be readable, fun look at women in TV.
RELEASES 3/6/18. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to review this book.
http://theresaalan.net/blog/
With the exception of Murphy Brown that came out in 1987, it was rare to have women head writers or showrunners (if you saw 30 Rock, Tina Fey’s character played a showrunner—basically in charge the writers and making sure everything came together). The major broadcast networks ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox have not made great strides in this area. (CW is an exception). Variety found that of the new scripted shows being made for the 2017/2018 season, just 29 percent of the broadcast showrunners were female and thirty-five percent of the actors were.
Thanks to streaming channels and cable, there are many more opportunities for women to get experience—and hire other women so they, too, can get experience. Directing TV is a Catch-22—you won’t get hired if you don’t have experience, but you can’t get experience because no one will hire you.
I like history and examining the role women have played in it, including the history of the entertainment industry. I found this to be readable, fun look at women in TV.
RELEASES 3/6/18. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to review this book.
http://theresaalan.net/blog/
March 27, 2018
Really spectacular. I hesitated, because so much has been happening in Hollywood over the last few months, and I figured this would feel dated. On the contrary, this is a timely and fascinating look at women behind the scenes in television. Recommendddddddd.
Read
February 13, 2018History is a giant tease: it jerks around our hopes and assumptions, it ebbs and surges and doubles back on itself. The long arc of history may bend toward justice, but when you're living through a reactionary period, it feels as if progress were being forced treacherously backward
As soon as I saw this book up for reviewing at NetGalley, I grabbed it. I did a stint in the film industry way back when, and while it was exciting to be around creative people, it was depressing and even degrading to be a woman in an industry already lethally competitive.
I don't just mean sexual harassment (back then, that was pretty much what any woman got any day of the week anywhere you went, any job you did), but the terrible ways in which women's talent was exploited, underpaid, never promoted, and outright pirated, but if you dared to complain, you were told bluntly that you play the game and smile, or you can be replaced in ten seconds flat by a hundred women hungry for your job.
Not being a fighter, unlike some of the women described in this book, one screw-over too many and I turned to writing books.
But I was eager to read about the women who did make it.
Press's stylish, tightly written, often sharply funny piece is an interesting blend of interview journalism, research piece, and essay. To me, the most interesting chapter was the first, which talked about the groundbreaking women in television, a notoriously male preserve.
The chapters go on to focus on different female show runners and executives, focusing on their difficulties in getting where they are now. In each chapter there are also close looks at their most famous shows. This interested me increasingly less as the chapters progressed, as the focus began to shift from breaking the boundaries in including women (POC, different ages and abilities, etc) as lead characters to breaking boundaries in content.
That's where I have the least interest, as I am not enamored of shows that focus on the degrading aspects of being human, but of course others disagree, and what makes art is a vital, vexing, sometimes indefinable question. I'm glad challenging art is out there, but most of it I don't want to see; many of these shows in the last few chapters were ones I tried an episode or two of and turned off.
But that's a taste thing, not a jab at Press, who I thought did a good job of focusing on her mission.
She also did a great job in conveying just how rough it is working in an industry that can include twenty-hour days for weeks at a stretch.
Altogether a fascinating glimpse into the gritty side of glamourville.
Copy provided by NetGalley
As soon as I saw this book up for reviewing at NetGalley, I grabbed it. I did a stint in the film industry way back when, and while it was exciting to be around creative people, it was depressing and even degrading to be a woman in an industry already lethally competitive.
I don't just mean sexual harassment (back then, that was pretty much what any woman got any day of the week anywhere you went, any job you did), but the terrible ways in which women's talent was exploited, underpaid, never promoted, and outright pirated, but if you dared to complain, you were told bluntly that you play the game and smile, or you can be replaced in ten seconds flat by a hundred women hungry for your job.
Not being a fighter, unlike some of the women described in this book, one screw-over too many and I turned to writing books.
But I was eager to read about the women who did make it.
Press's stylish, tightly written, often sharply funny piece is an interesting blend of interview journalism, research piece, and essay. To me, the most interesting chapter was the first, which talked about the groundbreaking women in television, a notoriously male preserve.
The chapters go on to focus on different female show runners and executives, focusing on their difficulties in getting where they are now. In each chapter there are also close looks at their most famous shows. This interested me increasingly less as the chapters progressed, as the focus began to shift from breaking the boundaries in including women (POC, different ages and abilities, etc) as lead characters to breaking boundaries in content.
That's where I have the least interest, as I am not enamored of shows that focus on the degrading aspects of being human, but of course others disagree, and what makes art is a vital, vexing, sometimes indefinable question. I'm glad challenging art is out there, but most of it I don't want to see; many of these shows in the last few chapters were ones I tried an episode or two of and turned off.
But that's a taste thing, not a jab at Press, who I thought did a good job of focusing on her mission.
She also did a great job in conveying just how rough it is working in an industry that can include twenty-hour days for weeks at a stretch.
Altogether a fascinating glimpse into the gritty side of glamourville.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Read
June 7, 2025La industria televisiva se ha ido transformando a través de los años y es indudable el crecimiento imparable del protagonismo de las mujeres en este sector del entretenimiento. Joy Press, periodista cultural, documenta cómo guionistas, directoras, productoras y “showrunners” han ido abriéndose camino en un sector tradicionalmente dominado por hombres.
El libro destaca a pioneras como Diane English («Murphy Brown») y Roseanne Barr («Roseanne»), quienes allanaron el terreno para una nueva generación de talentos como Amy Sherman-Palladino, Jenji Kohan, Shonda Rhimes, Lena Dunham, Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer y Joey Soloway.
Parafraseando a Joy Press, las creadoras televisivas que se ven en este libro han contribuido sin duda a la reacción política actual, gracias a que plasman la realidad de la vida de las mujeres.
*Recomendadísimo*
El libro destaca a pioneras como Diane English («Murphy Brown») y Roseanne Barr («Roseanne»), quienes allanaron el terreno para una nueva generación de talentos como Amy Sherman-Palladino, Jenji Kohan, Shonda Rhimes, Lena Dunham, Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer y Joey Soloway.
Parafraseando a Joy Press, las creadoras televisivas que se ven en este libro han contribuido sin duda a la reacción política actual, gracias a que plasman la realidad de la vida de las mujeres.
*Recomendadísimo*
March 24, 2018
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 long enough to really dive in at a level that's truly satisfying. And if you're familiar with the show, there won't be much to learn. (I remembered most of what happened in the Roseanne Barr chapter, for example, even though my family watched it only rarely.)
This structural approach has another major weakness: there isn't a real narrative tying these stories together. We don't get enough context about how these shows are different from the rest of television, themes that pop up over and over again are just threads that are picked up and dropped rather than a real through line. We read in some chapters about feminism, intersectionality, hiring and mentoring women, fighting for creative control, and reframing the idea of female gender roles. But without addressing these in a deeper way, it doesn't feel like anything is actually happening. (Also worth noting that it always rubs me wrong when "woman" is used as a titular term to describe someone who is actually nonbinary, like Jill Soloway.)
Now that I've logged all my complaints, I should note this is an easy, breezy read. If you're not looking for a real deep dive but just a look at how women on television in front of and behind the camera have changed in the last 30 years, this gives you a good snapshot and it's fun to read. More beach or airplane read than learning experience.
This structural approach has another major weakness: there isn't a real narrative tying these stories together. We don't get enough context about how these shows are different from the rest of television, themes that pop up over and over again are just threads that are picked up and dropped rather than a real through line. We read in some chapters about feminism, intersectionality, hiring and mentoring women, fighting for creative control, and reframing the idea of female gender roles. But without addressing these in a deeper way, it doesn't feel like anything is actually happening. (Also worth noting that it always rubs me wrong when "woman" is used as a titular term to describe someone who is actually nonbinary, like Jill Soloway.)
Now that I've logged all my complaints, I should note this is an easy, breezy read. If you're not looking for a real deep dive but just a look at how women on television in front of and behind the camera have changed in the last 30 years, this gives you a good snapshot and it's fun to read. More beach or airplane read than learning experience.
May 6, 2019
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.
March 21, 2019
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.
January 26, 2018
Stealing the Show.
I thought I was going to love this book. I am pro-female, ever rooting for a woman to make her mark in the world. I am thankful to the women how have struggled to making groundbreaking t.v. and film come to my screen. However except for a few of the women mentioned in this book, I don't feel that some of these women deserve being talked about. I am not into lewdness, so I don't get Lena Dunham, nor Amy Schumer and Jenji Kohan. Although I get that their shows produce the ability to talk about tough topics, I just don't see it as needful, I'm not into shock and awe sex.
I love being reminded of the strength that Rosanne Barr had in putting her show out during a time where women were still seen as demur and helpless. Amy Sherman-Palladino is my Hollywood kindred spirit, so reading about her and her mark on Television was awesome. I mean, who doesn't love a Shonda Rhimes show? That girl is tough as nails! I am wishing that we got more stories about Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers and other women who helped these modern day women to have a slightly easier go at it.
I guess, I learned alot about the women in the book through Joy Press's interviews and exchanges and still had to bite my tongue on how some of these woman who just don't represent "strength" to me. Not every book is for everybody. This book was just not what I expected. I guess I am not as feministic, or open-minded as I thought.
I gave this book 3 stars for a well written format.
I thought I was going to love this book. I am pro-female, ever rooting for a woman to make her mark in the world. I am thankful to the women how have struggled to making groundbreaking t.v. and film come to my screen. However except for a few of the women mentioned in this book, I don't feel that some of these women deserve being talked about. I am not into lewdness, so I don't get Lena Dunham, nor Amy Schumer and Jenji Kohan. Although I get that their shows produce the ability to talk about tough topics, I just don't see it as needful, I'm not into shock and awe sex.
I love being reminded of the strength that Rosanne Barr had in putting her show out during a time where women were still seen as demur and helpless. Amy Sherman-Palladino is my Hollywood kindred spirit, so reading about her and her mark on Television was awesome. I mean, who doesn't love a Shonda Rhimes show? That girl is tough as nails! I am wishing that we got more stories about Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers and other women who helped these modern day women to have a slightly easier go at it.
I guess, I learned alot about the women in the book through Joy Press's interviews and exchanges and still had to bite my tongue on how some of these woman who just don't represent "strength" to me. Not every book is for everybody. This book was just not what I expected. I guess I am not as feministic, or open-minded as I thought.
I gave this book 3 stars for a well written format.
June 3, 2022
Joy Press es una periodista cultural que en este libro profundiza en las historias de una docena de creadoras de series, desde Diane English (creadora de Murphy Brown), pasando por Amy Sherman-Palladino, Shonda Rhimes y Tina Fey, hasta Lena Dunham y Jenji Kohan. Es una tremenda lección de historia sobre televisión, sobre lo que es el rol de “showrunner" en una serie y sobre lo difícil que ha sido el camino para las mujeres que quieren contar historias sobre mujeres.
Fue muy chévere leer sobre los estilos distintos que tenían estas showrunners dirigiendo sus series (como el caos de Roseanne Barr o el ambiente íntimo de Jill Solloway) y confirmé que todas son unas duras. Y también confirmé, después de leer las historias de sus sacrificios, trasnochadas y adicción al trabajo, que yo no tendré nunca la energía para ser así de exitosa.
Fue muy chévere leer sobre los estilos distintos que tenían estas showrunners dirigiendo sus series (como el caos de Roseanne Barr o el ambiente íntimo de Jill Solloway) y confirmé que todas son unas duras. Y también confirmé, después de leer las historias de sus sacrificios, trasnochadas y adicción al trabajo, que yo no tendré nunca la energía para ser así de exitosa.
October 16, 2018
Loved this look at women showrunners, their vision and the impact of their work
October 17, 2018
I really enjoyed how Joy Press focused on the writing side of things, even when I wouldn’t have thought to wonder about that aspect. Now, where’s the remote- I have some rewatching to do.
February 20, 2019
If you like TV, complex female protagonists, and feminism (plus a dash of Hollywood gossip 😉), this book might be for you 😊
August 14, 2019
An interesting and fun read. Some of the chapters, however, seemed to focus more on the shows themselves than the women behind them.
March 30, 2018
I really liked reading about these different women in their roles - some I was more familiar with than others, so I enjoyed getting a bit more backstory on them. I wish some of the chapters went a bit more in depth but I still enjoyed the whole book. Seems weird to say this, but I enjoyed the entire idea of this book since it's not something you see talked about very often.
October 1, 2018
This lop-sided book is nothing but feminist propaganda. It does a horrible job regarding the history of women on television, contains errors, and skips over many significant events or people in order to focus on a few modern women that the author wants to promote and praise. Nothing fair about this--from a male perspective who has researched the subject for decades this is simplistic, diminutive, and diminishing of men and women involved in TV history.
The writer poorly summarizes some of the work of the more current heavy hitters (Lena Dunham, Tina Fey) and overpraises Roseanne (a show mostly created and run by men). Politics are tied in when the author finds it important to push her agenda, and she makes sure to hold Barack Obama up for being a "feminist" and gay rights supporter (she needs to take a look back at his actual beliefs). She loves to slam Republicans but can be strangely silent on woman-chasing, female-harasser Bill Clinton (while praising Hillary of course!).
The book seems to exist simply to be a propaganda piece to place in libraries to distort research for decades to come. It's incomplete and intolerant of well-rounded perspectives. A radical feminist that wants to support her own biased perspective will love it, but any reasonable person interested in a fair look at the history of women and the medium should avoid it.
The writer poorly summarizes some of the work of the more current heavy hitters (Lena Dunham, Tina Fey) and overpraises Roseanne (a show mostly created and run by men). Politics are tied in when the author finds it important to push her agenda, and she makes sure to hold Barack Obama up for being a "feminist" and gay rights supporter (she needs to take a look back at his actual beliefs). She loves to slam Republicans but can be strangely silent on woman-chasing, female-harasser Bill Clinton (while praising Hillary of course!).
The book seems to exist simply to be a propaganda piece to place in libraries to distort research for decades to come. It's incomplete and intolerant of well-rounded perspectives. A radical feminist that wants to support her own biased perspective will love it, but any reasonable person interested in a fair look at the history of women and the medium should avoid it.
November 26, 2017
I felt like I'd fallen down a rabbit hole...a completely different world than the one I live in. I admire strong women who control their destiny and make change happen; but the women portrayed in this book, particularly the last half, seemed to be grabbing at a change that I don't think is going to improve the world we live in. I don't want them defining my role as a woman. I vote for dignity and respect, not in-your-face degradation.
January 8, 2020
Some parts are pretty good, but I felt as though it focused too much on the showrunners themselves and not so much on providing a holistic study of the shows they created — which is precisely what I was looking for in this. It’s still a nice read, though.
June 22, 2018
Mostly descriptions of shows. Already feels dated.
January 4, 2019
Not for me. I thought the first few chapters were interesting then kept pushing myself through to finish.
November 16, 2017
This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.i was under the impression that it was going to be about female showrunners and their stories, but really it was just a description of their shows. The first chapter was the strongest, describing how groundbreaking the show was and the life of the woman behind it and how she got there, with some recapping of particular episodes of the show.
Sadly, subsequent chapters generally had a very shallow description of the women behind the shows and spent much more time recapping individual episodes. If I wanted an episode guide, I would just watch the shows or wiki it. I hoped for more, and really only got advertisements for tv shows I already watched. I understand that describing the show is important to explaining their cultural impact, but you can’t just give episode recaps without more.
The first chapter balanced this well, describing episodes after filling in her story, and then describing the cultural and politcal reactions individual episodes got. Later chapters described episodes, but for no apparent reason.
The Amy Sherman Palladio and Roseanne Barr were some of the weakest chapters in the book due to just giving recaps of episodes, but the second half of the book had a bit more success with Amy Schumer and Mindy Kahling.
The orange is the new black chapter had quite a bit of trivia about the show and was one of the stronger chapters of the book, but still suffered the same ‘last week on this show’ style of the book.
The final chapter was lovely, describing the ‘club’ of female showrunners and how they meet periodically and share their experiences. I would have loved for the whole book just to be these women describing their struggles and successes, instead of episode by episode reviews.
It’s definitely a good introduction to the shows of female showrunners, and if someone hasn’t already seen them all I feel they would add quite a few to their must-watch list, though it is naturally full of spoilers.
Sadly, subsequent chapters generally had a very shallow description of the women behind the shows and spent much more time recapping individual episodes. If I wanted an episode guide, I would just watch the shows or wiki it. I hoped for more, and really only got advertisements for tv shows I already watched. I understand that describing the show is important to explaining their cultural impact, but you can’t just give episode recaps without more.
The first chapter balanced this well, describing episodes after filling in her story, and then describing the cultural and politcal reactions individual episodes got. Later chapters described episodes, but for no apparent reason.
The Amy Sherman Palladio and Roseanne Barr were some of the weakest chapters in the book due to just giving recaps of episodes, but the second half of the book had a bit more success with Amy Schumer and Mindy Kahling.
The orange is the new black chapter had quite a bit of trivia about the show and was one of the stronger chapters of the book, but still suffered the same ‘last week on this show’ style of the book.
The final chapter was lovely, describing the ‘club’ of female showrunners and how they meet periodically and share their experiences. I would have loved for the whole book just to be these women describing their struggles and successes, instead of episode by episode reviews.
It’s definitely a good introduction to the shows of female showrunners, and if someone hasn’t already seen them all I feel they would add quite a few to their must-watch list, though it is naturally full of spoilers.
June 29, 2018
Books that examine the history of pop culture are always a good read. With memories and attention spans getting shorter and shorter, it's easy to forget how ground breaking certain films, TV shows and books have been, let alone the timely movements that brought change to each medium.
Stealing the Show focuses on the rise of the female showrunner within the US TV industry and Press does a fine job reminding us how shows like Murphy Brown and Roseanne allowed women's lives to be more accurately portrayed on TV. While the US isn't technically a theocracy, it does have leanings in that direction - particularly towards the conservative Christian right. It's this prevailing attitude that female writers/showrunners were, and are still, up against. Whether its adopting as a single mom, or choosing to have an abortion, or, heaven forbid, being sexually active, it took decades for these types of stories to make it to the small screen. And there is still a fight to present the female experience from a female perspective, although Press presents an easier case now that the Shonda Rhimes and Diane English's of the world have forged a path.
But despite the creative advances, what hasn't changed is ego. Movies are the directors medium; TV is the showrunner's medium. Being a staff writer is only a stepping stone - the golden egg is to run your own show. And from a control standpoint, the females aren't any different than men. They are just as tough, demanding, and yes, sometimes not that nice.
Stealing the Show focuses on the rise of the female showrunner within the US TV industry and Press does a fine job reminding us how shows like Murphy Brown and Roseanne allowed women's lives to be more accurately portrayed on TV. While the US isn't technically a theocracy, it does have leanings in that direction - particularly towards the conservative Christian right. It's this prevailing attitude that female writers/showrunners were, and are still, up against. Whether its adopting as a single mom, or choosing to have an abortion, or, heaven forbid, being sexually active, it took decades for these types of stories to make it to the small screen. And there is still a fight to present the female experience from a female perspective, although Press presents an easier case now that the Shonda Rhimes and Diane English's of the world have forged a path.
But despite the creative advances, what hasn't changed is ego. Movies are the directors medium; TV is the showrunner's medium. Being a staff writer is only a stepping stone - the golden egg is to run your own show. And from a control standpoint, the females aren't any different than men. They are just as tough, demanding, and yes, sometimes not that nice.
September 24, 2018
: I liked the book. It was long and had so much information about women in television. I was confused at first trying to follow a timeline with TV shows who stars were women (Murphy Brown, Roseanne, and Cagney & Lacey) and talking about women writers and producers. She intertwines the new shows and writers against the old style of Man’s TV. There was a lot to learn in this book. While I followed the timeline of shows, I was ignorant towards the behinds the scenes creation and production of shows (especially how hard and volatile the business is). The author talks about all the new shows in 2000, the networks, and the diversity; she describes Sex and The City, the Sopranos, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gilmore Girls. Joy writes about the writers, the production, and the current and political events. For instance, all the firsts in TV, and the upcoming new networks (FX, HBO, Ect…) It is has always been said that art mirrors life, and it does. There are many shows mentioned in this book that I didn’t know anything about and didn’t want to watch (The Mindy Project, Grey’s Anatomy, Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer, Weeds, etc.) and yet, listening to behind the scenes motivations and parodies, the shows and writers seem so much more interesting. When you look at the big picture of women’s issues in the 21st century, this book explains how TV changes to shed light on, rise up against, and unite together to acknowledge and overcome those challenges. I would recommend the book!
January 15, 2019
Mediante nueve artículos sobre una creadora y una o dos series producidas por ella, Joy Press cuenta y analiza cómo cada una se hizo hueco en un mundo eminentemente masculino y abrió la puerta a nuevos personajes e historias. El recorrido, iniciado a finales de los 80 con Diane English y Murphy Brown y cerrado con Jill Soloway y Transparent, es muy equilibrado. En las elecciones (grandes fenómenos y productos más de culto; comedias, dramas, dramedias; quizás falta un poco de género) y en el detalle del relato de cada una. Cómo se gestó cada serie, la gestión de la producción, los episodios más significativos, los intríngulis de la sala de guionistas, complicaciones profesionales y personales... Un esquema convencional y muy efectivo. Aunque no se huye de la polémica, la visión es eminentemente positiva y tanto puede satisfacer al seguidor de las series, por la mirada entre bambalinas, como al que apenas las conozca. De hecho es probable que salga con el gusanillo de acercarse a ellas.
La edición de Alpha Decay no está a la altura del contenido. Da la impresión de haber salido a falta de una última corrección a fondo, con prisas por alcanzar la campaña navideña, colándose no ya ortotipográficos sino fallas de localización (incongruencias en si traducir o no el título de la serie) o ya, directamente, errores de traducción burdos en frases hechas o palabras. No es ilegible pero en un libro con este precio uno espera algo más que acabado de blog.
La edición de Alpha Decay no está a la altura del contenido. Da la impresión de haber salido a falta de una última corrección a fondo, con prisas por alcanzar la campaña navideña, colándose no ya ortotipográficos sino fallas de localización (incongruencias en si traducir o no el título de la serie) o ya, directamente, errores de traducción burdos en frases hechas o palabras. No es ilegible pero en un libro con este precio uno espera algo más que acabado de blog.
July 3, 2020
I thought this book was interesting and informative, but I also felt I didn't get as much out of it as I could have. I felt like I was lacking cultural context for much of the book, though that may be because I am younger than the intended target demographic and I have never seen any of these shows.
I also feel that many important areas of TV were overlooked. The book focused only on live action contemporary works and did not include any animated or sci-fi/fantasy TV shows. (The exception was a brief mention of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) I find it hard to believe that there were no influential female (or formerly female-identifying) creators in animated or genre TV up until now, especially considering how sci-fi/fantasy has often been much more focused on themes of inclusion and equity than other media in the past. I don't mind if the book is intended to have a narrow focus, but the book should have stated that it was only looking at contemporary live action TV shows, instead of dismissing genre and animated TV entirely.
One showrunner who could have been included is Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, an animated sci-fi/fantasy TV show that pushed boundaries forward for women, queer people and other historically marginalized groups.
I also feel that many important areas of TV were overlooked. The book focused only on live action contemporary works and did not include any animated or sci-fi/fantasy TV shows. (The exception was a brief mention of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) I find it hard to believe that there were no influential female (or formerly female-identifying) creators in animated or genre TV up until now, especially considering how sci-fi/fantasy has often been much more focused on themes of inclusion and equity than other media in the past. I don't mind if the book is intended to have a narrow focus, but the book should have stated that it was only looking at contemporary live action TV shows, instead of dismissing genre and animated TV entirely.
One showrunner who could have been included is Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, an animated sci-fi/fantasy TV show that pushed boundaries forward for women, queer people and other historically marginalized groups.
January 13, 2022
I feel like I should’ve read this book earlier or it should’ve been written later, if that makes sense.
I enjoyed the deep dives and interviews on various women show runners and their shows. While I knew a lot about some shows - Roseanne, Gilmore Girls - I knew less about plenty of others - Broad City, Girls - so there was a lot to learn.
It’s a very liberal feminist take on the medium, and my politics have moved much farther left in the past few years. Also, while Press makes a decent effort to cover a wide range of women show runners in the book, it’s still pretty white - the chapter on Shondaland even acknowledges how little bearing race has on those shows, and Insecure is only given a brief mention and interviews in the epilogue. Also, it’s understandable, given publishing timelines, but the chapter on Transparent only briefly acknowledges either Tambor’s sexual harassment of a trans actress or Jill Soloway’s non-binary gender identity.
And to be nit picky, I wish that Press would just call women ‘fat’, I recoiled every time she used ‘chubby’ or another euphemism. Also, there were some obvious errors that could’ve been fixed with some more robust fact-checking.
All in all, I’m glad I read this, but it still left me somewhat unsatisfied.
I enjoyed the deep dives and interviews on various women show runners and their shows. While I knew a lot about some shows - Roseanne, Gilmore Girls - I knew less about plenty of others - Broad City, Girls - so there was a lot to learn.
It’s a very liberal feminist take on the medium, and my politics have moved much farther left in the past few years. Also, while Press makes a decent effort to cover a wide range of women show runners in the book, it’s still pretty white - the chapter on Shondaland even acknowledges how little bearing race has on those shows, and Insecure is only given a brief mention and interviews in the epilogue. Also, it’s understandable, given publishing timelines, but the chapter on Transparent only briefly acknowledges either Tambor’s sexual harassment of a trans actress or Jill Soloway’s non-binary gender identity.
And to be nit picky, I wish that Press would just call women ‘fat’, I recoiled every time she used ‘chubby’ or another euphemism. Also, there were some obvious errors that could’ve been fixed with some more robust fact-checking.
All in all, I’m glad I read this, but it still left me somewhat unsatisfied.
July 7, 2018
A little slow at the start, but then this transforms into a highly entertaining and nuanced exploration of how women fought like hell to break into the television industry. Beware of some spoilers if you aren’t up to date on the shows mentioned (particularly the sections on dramedy and Orange Is The New Black). Otherwise, read this immediately! You’ll gain a deeper appreciation for all the trauma, pain, and frustration that dozens of women endured in order for us to see more of ourselves reflected on the screen, with greater diversity and with greater authenticity. I’m leaving this one with a more empathetic view of Roseanne Barr and Amy Schumer (I know, I know - that’s why you should read it too!!), a better understanding of the significance of Transparent and different depictions of gender identity in our culture, and most of all a renewed commitment to supporting, promoting, and loving TV shows made by, with, and for womyn.
March 19, 2023
Desde que salió la versión en español de este libro lo quise. Amo todo lo que tiene que ver con la televiisón, y mucho más un libro sobre las mujeres detrás de muchas de mis series favoritas, así que cuando me enteré de su existencia no dude en comprarlo.
Joy Press, autora del libro, es periodista de cultura pop y ha escrito en muchas revistas como Vanity Fair. En este libro en cada capítulo profundiza sobre una creadora de series, showrunner y guionista de las mejores series que hemos tenido en la televisión en el SXX.
Así conocemos los procesos creativos de mi adorada Amy Sherman-Palladino, las genias Shonda Rhimes y Tina Fey, pasando por las nuevas generaciones de creadoras como Lena Dunham y Jenji Cohan, Amy Shumer y Mindy Kaling.
El libro es una fascinante lección de historia sobre la televisión. el rol de showrunner, los Writers Room y el camino que han recorrido las creadoras, sus historias y protagonistas para estar en la televisión.
Joy Press, autora del libro, es periodista de cultura pop y ha escrito en muchas revistas como Vanity Fair. En este libro en cada capítulo profundiza sobre una creadora de series, showrunner y guionista de las mejores series que hemos tenido en la televisión en el SXX.
Así conocemos los procesos creativos de mi adorada Amy Sherman-Palladino, las genias Shonda Rhimes y Tina Fey, pasando por las nuevas generaciones de creadoras como Lena Dunham y Jenji Cohan, Amy Shumer y Mindy Kaling.
El libro es una fascinante lección de historia sobre la televisión. el rol de showrunner, los Writers Room y el camino que han recorrido las creadoras, sus historias y protagonistas para estar en la televisión.
January 24, 2021
I wanted to read this book because it would talk about the showrunners of some of my most-loved tv shows (Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy). I especially enjoyed the chapters on those showrunners, and the behind-the-scenes look at how some of the shows got made and what was unique and ground-breaking about them. However, I would throw a word of caution to any readers - the books is FULL of spoilers for the shows it discusses. It would be hard to talk about the shows without spoilers, but there is no warning that you're about to come across one, so I'd advise skipping the chapters related to shows that you haven't seen and still plan to. Overall, of the parts I read, this was a very good book about the rise of women in the TV industry, and it's made me interesting in re-watching, or watching for the first time, several of these women-driven shows.
December 31, 2023
Would love to read a different version of this book if all the NDAs in Hollywood were to disappear, but as written, for all it's research, it's a bit bland and lacking focus. There are some interesting stories in here about women reaching powerful positions in Hollywood on Murphy Brown, Orange is the New Black etc, but it's lacking veracity in places.
The"Roseanne" section was particularly interesting and mostly accurate--it would take a whole book and a lot of bravery for the full story to be told. However, from what I know of the "Gilmore Girls" set, that section is somewhat sanitized. Nobody will ever really know what happens behind the scenes. Those of us who work there have a code not to tell and everybody wants to get hired again so...
The"Roseanne" section was particularly interesting and mostly accurate--it would take a whole book and a lot of bravery for the full story to be told. However, from what I know of the "Gilmore Girls" set, that section is somewhat sanitized. Nobody will ever really know what happens behind the scenes. Those of us who work there have a code not to tell and everybody wants to get hired again so...
February 4, 2018
This book looks at how these women fought to get where they are and to be treated as equals with the men who are primarily running television/film.
While I thought the book started out strong and ended strong, the middle was little more than telling us about the series episodes and what they meant.
While I enjoyed reading about the women, I felt like this book was more about the shows themselves. Much of this information everyone knows, so it wasn't shocking or even surprising.
If you are a fan of one of these shows, you will probably find it interesting. I did not.
Netgalley/Atria March 06, 2018
While I thought the book started out strong and ended strong, the middle was little more than telling us about the series episodes and what they meant.
While I enjoyed reading about the women, I felt like this book was more about the shows themselves. Much of this information everyone knows, so it wasn't shocking or even surprising.
If you are a fan of one of these shows, you will probably find it interesting. I did not.
Netgalley/Atria March 06, 2018
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