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New Bedlam
Meet Bobby Kahn: a smart enough, decent enough man of middle-of-the-road tastes and weaknesses, he's network TV's boy-wonder programming executive - or rather was, until the morning he was unceremoniously fired. Frantic to save face before the news gets out, he lunges for a job running a sorry family cable business in the cozy town of New Bedlam, Rhode Island. It won't take Bobby Kahn long to learn that the length in miles between New York City and New Bedlam does not do justice to the distance between the two worlds.
But that itself only begins to explain the gulf in taste and instincts between Bobby Kahn and the Kings, one of the more rewardingly dysfunctional families in recent American fiction. The patriarch, Dom, who made his fortune in car dealerships and lucked into a cable monopoly in the industry's dark ages, has ceded control of the three networks to his three quarreling children: Annie, the sincere na•f who runs Eureka!, the pretentious arts channel; Skyler, the cocky social climber who runs BoomerBox, the old-sitcom rerun channel; and the family black sheep, the obnoxious Kenny, who presides over the Comic Book Channel, a safe house for ill-socialized comic book devotees. Complicating matters, Bobby learns, is the extent to which the family is in foul odor in New Bedlam. The Kings' family secrets, and the enemies they have made along the way, are just a few of the obstacles Bobby has to overcome if he's going to turn around King Cable and make it back to the big leagues.
A bit The Devil Wears Prada transplanted to Richard Russo country, New Bedlam is a richly entertaining comic novel whose spit-take-quality laughs carry with them a wealth of sharply-observed insights into America's culture industry and the people who control it, from an author who shows us he's completely unafraid of biting the hand.
But that itself only begins to explain the gulf in taste and instincts between Bobby Kahn and the Kings, one of the more rewardingly dysfunctional families in recent American fiction. The patriarch, Dom, who made his fortune in car dealerships and lucked into a cable monopoly in the industry's dark ages, has ceded control of the three networks to his three quarreling children: Annie, the sincere na•f who runs Eureka!, the pretentious arts channel; Skyler, the cocky social climber who runs BoomerBox, the old-sitcom rerun channel; and the family black sheep, the obnoxious Kenny, who presides over the Comic Book Channel, a safe house for ill-socialized comic book devotees. Complicating matters, Bobby learns, is the extent to which the family is in foul odor in New Bedlam. The Kings' family secrets, and the enemies they have made along the way, are just a few of the obstacles Bobby has to overcome if he's going to turn around King Cable and make it back to the big leagues.
A bit The Devil Wears Prada transplanted to Richard Russo country, New Bedlam is a richly entertaining comic novel whose spit-take-quality laughs carry with them a wealth of sharply-observed insights into America's culture industry and the people who control it, from an author who shows us he's completely unafraid of biting the hand.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 8, 2007
Okay novel. Too predictable. A tv bigshot is fired and ends up in a remote part of Rhode Island running an obscure cable company. There are odd employees, odd shows that no one watches...Supposed to be a satire but it's bite isn't that strong unfortunately.
January 18, 2013
Bill Flanagan's novel, New Bedlam, was an entertaining and instructive read. It is the story of a Rhode Island cable company, King Cable, and its dysfunctional family owners, as told through the eyes of Bobby Kahn, their newly hired do-it-all kind of guy, chief restructurer and executive.
While the novel follows the development of the TV cable company--King Cable, named after the father of the brood, Dominic King--extensively, the real flesh of the story is the sibling rivalry of King's children--Skyler, Kenny, and Annie--and Dominic King himself, with Bobby trying to pick up the pieces and produce a successful company. Between Kenny's ribald eccentricity, Annie's demand for art-over-cash, and Dominic's quasi-controlling influence, Bobby has his work set out for him.
The story is given primarily from a third-person narration watching over Bobby's point of view, but the story really isn't about him. He is the vessel through which the story is told. He himself is a somewhat flat character, without much emotional complexity or delving. He is mostly a focus on the character conflicts of the Kings as well as the rebuilding of the cable company.
The main character, really, is the King family. Them and their interpersonal drama and tension. Each of the children owns a channel in the company their father bought and gave to them, as well as equal shares and presiding power. Skyler is the oldest and firstborn of Dominic's original wife, and he runs the executive business decisions as well as a channel for the baby boomers. He's money oriented, and his not-so-secret goal of is revealed towards the end of the book to be his primary motivation; to get this, he must contest his siblings and his father to let Bobby do his job and clean up the company. Annie is King's other blood-related child, being born of his third wife. She is an artsy intellectual who doesn't understand or care for the money-making ratings-focused TV world, owning an arts-and-history focused channel; she feels dragged into the company but fights strongly for her view of her right to make her channel something educating and not what she views as standard TV-trash. Kenny is the bastard child--he was only a partial stepson to Dominic King during a short affair, but he attached to the family and King's child Skyler and forced his way into the family, even changing his name. He is an eccentric and morally blanche individual, owning a channel as quirky as he is--focused on comic books--and gives the novel a much needed thrust of conflict and drama. He and his cronies--Sam and Moe--create a lot of the laughable lines in the book as well as a major monkey-wrench in Bobby's machine to revamp King Cable into something respectable, business-wise.
However, it is Dominic King, daddy of the clan, who is the most striking character, and the Godfather of the book. Like the Comedian in Watchmen or Don Corleone in the Godfather, he carries a central line that ties the books themes and characters together, and is a patriarchal moral study, full of seemingly contradictory views and insightful close-mindedness. He doesn't have his own exclusive scenes or narrative; his story is told through the eyes of others, mostly Bobby. Flanagan goes into inclusive depth about King's ethnicity, love life, family, values, and sometimes questionable business practices. Dominic King is what keeps the story from becoming mere TV educational action and gives it an air of deeper seriousness. His character is the most detailed and complexly fleshed out, making him the most three-dimensional character in the book. It is he who holds the family together and .
The most important relationship--in fact, the only one really given much attention--is that between Dominic King and his one-time stepson, Kenny King. Although Skyler, Annie, and Kenny have their quarrels between them, it is Kenny's lifetime desire to be loved and accepted as a son and Dominic's irritated determination not to do so that gives the novel a breath of character depth, development, and real conflict.
There is some development between Annie and Kenny and Skyler, a little bit between cross-town rivalries, and a very tiny bit between Bobby and his old boss, Howard, but other than that, there is really only Dominic and Kenny. In fact, with Bobby the narrative vessel, the central characters really are Dominic and Kenny. Annie, Skyler, and Bobby get their screen time, but it is only to advance plot or create conflict, not the type of intense father-son rejection/desire interplay that goes on between the TV cable boss and his forgotten "son."
The novel seems to be a divide of three types of scenes--TV informative/King Cable development, minor fun scenes involving character conflict, and Dominic King. The plot is there--it does not flounder though it sometimes tells more than shows. It is more of a snapshot view plot, zeroing in on important meetings or events which it only later follows up on in asides from the characters. Most of the major changes in environment, status, and business and told rather than shown. The company starts out dismal--no important ratings or recognition--and Bobby resurrects it from the depths of obscurity to a height unimagined by anyone in the King family but Skyler. It is this upsurge and the events that follow, that are the plot meat of the book.
Educational and entertainment wise, there are several rewarding segments. There are some minor pieces placed early in the book that come out to play nicely and unexpectedly later--. There are also several very enjoyable segments about the progression and internal dynamics of the cable company--the creation of shows or compilations and stunts that give the channels more air time, the firing and hiring of workers and the role of various departments--that show Flanagan's expertise in his subject matter (he himself is a TV executive for MTV and essayist for CBS); while they are followed up on, it left me wishing he spent more time finalizing or continuing these interesting TV development segments.
These segments, though, were the most rewarding part of the book for me. I learned so much about how TV operates behind the scenes on the executive level, and this knowledge alone almost made me give the book four stars. It was fun learning and never dull, although sometimes verbose with TV vocab--not a bad thing. Ultimately, though, the lack of character development (was there any?) and a lightweight plot made me drop it to three stars.
Although there are some nicely written side characters--Abigail and Dash and Boris (especially Boris; I would have loved to learn more about him) are my favorites--some of the minor characters were very cardboardy (Moe and Beth come to mind) with one dimensional motivations and lines that often make you grimace because of how cliche it fits their stereotype.
Other characters are complex, intriguing, and morally gray--Kenny and especially Dominic King being the most fleshed out of the bunch. This saved the character section, but unfortunately, the lack of intrigue and development and realism in the other main characters--Skyler, somewhat Annie, and big time in Bobby Kahn--make the majority of the characters unmemorable and dull.
There's no clear "thing" this story is about when talking about the big picture. It educates much about TV-land, gives some interesting characters some interesting conflicts, but it falls short of being a great or even a quite good novel. It somewhat discusses about what sells on TV, why it sells, and how it's sold. But it doesn't really comment on it much, at least in my opinion. Perhaps Bobby Kahn's career is a symbolic parallel to modern society's obsession with television and the greedy TV execs who spoon-feed them garbage while the internal King drama represents the competing interests of Wall Street power players in light of a deconstructionist view of modern capitalism and American entertainment? I doubt it, but it would have been nice. There are some echoes of deeper themes--the effects of capitalism, human nature and how it is symbolized on TV, love and rejection--but ultimately, it was mostly all a book about a TV executive and a dysfunctional power family told for a fun read.
It could have used a couple hundred extra pages to flesh out the King family and their rivalry and interpersonal and intertown conflict to give it more "umph" and that epic real human story that fills so many good books. And perhaps, it would have been nice to see the plot a little more connected, tied together, and give more of those rewarding "ahh" moments that a well-woven plot does.
So, ultimately, three stars and a recommendation to anyone who wants to learn more about how TV operates behind the scenes. Also, if the stuff about Dominic and Kenny sounded intriguing to you, I would recommend it as long as you aren't expecting a really good payoff or character analysis. Because of his extensive expertise and the fun, entertaining way of writing about TV behind-the-scenes, I would easily read another novel by Flanagan (I've heard A&R has a similar setup but is better executed). So--three stars. I feel this fits--Goodreads calls three stars "I like it." I do like it. I like it a nice little bit.
While the novel follows the development of the TV cable company--King Cable, named after the father of the brood, Dominic King--extensively, the real flesh of the story is the sibling rivalry of King's children--Skyler, Kenny, and Annie--and Dominic King himself, with Bobby trying to pick up the pieces and produce a successful company. Between Kenny's ribald eccentricity, Annie's demand for art-over-cash, and Dominic's quasi-controlling influence, Bobby has his work set out for him.
The story is given primarily from a third-person narration watching over Bobby's point of view, but the story really isn't about him. He is the vessel through which the story is told. He himself is a somewhat flat character, without much emotional complexity or delving. He is mostly a focus on the character conflicts of the Kings as well as the rebuilding of the cable company.
The main character, really, is the King family. Them and their interpersonal drama and tension. Each of the children owns a channel in the company their father bought and gave to them, as well as equal shares and presiding power. Skyler is the oldest and firstborn of Dominic's original wife, and he runs the executive business decisions as well as a channel for the baby boomers. He's money oriented, and his not-so-secret goal of is revealed towards the end of the book to be his primary motivation; to get this, he must contest his siblings and his father to let Bobby do his job and clean up the company. Annie is King's other blood-related child, being born of his third wife. She is an artsy intellectual who doesn't understand or care for the money-making ratings-focused TV world, owning an arts-and-history focused channel; she feels dragged into the company but fights strongly for her view of her right to make her channel something educating and not what she views as standard TV-trash. Kenny is the bastard child--he was only a partial stepson to Dominic King during a short affair, but he attached to the family and King's child Skyler and forced his way into the family, even changing his name. He is an eccentric and morally blanche individual, owning a channel as quirky as he is--focused on comic books--and gives the novel a much needed thrust of conflict and drama. He and his cronies--Sam and Moe--create a lot of the laughable lines in the book as well as a major monkey-wrench in Bobby's machine to revamp King Cable into something respectable, business-wise.
However, it is Dominic King, daddy of the clan, who is the most striking character, and the Godfather of the book. Like the Comedian in Watchmen or Don Corleone in the Godfather, he carries a central line that ties the books themes and characters together, and is a patriarchal moral study, full of seemingly contradictory views and insightful close-mindedness. He doesn't have his own exclusive scenes or narrative; his story is told through the eyes of others, mostly Bobby. Flanagan goes into inclusive depth about King's ethnicity, love life, family, values, and sometimes questionable business practices. Dominic King is what keeps the story from becoming mere TV educational action and gives it an air of deeper seriousness. His character is the most detailed and complexly fleshed out, making him the most three-dimensional character in the book. It is he who holds the family together and .
The most important relationship--in fact, the only one really given much attention--is that between Dominic King and his one-time stepson, Kenny King. Although Skyler, Annie, and Kenny have their quarrels between them, it is Kenny's lifetime desire to be loved and accepted as a son and Dominic's irritated determination not to do so that gives the novel a breath of character depth, development, and real conflict.
There is some development between Annie and Kenny and Skyler, a little bit between cross-town rivalries, and a very tiny bit between Bobby and his old boss, Howard, but other than that, there is really only Dominic and Kenny. In fact, with Bobby the narrative vessel, the central characters really are Dominic and Kenny. Annie, Skyler, and Bobby get their screen time, but it is only to advance plot or create conflict, not the type of intense father-son rejection/desire interplay that goes on between the TV cable boss and his forgotten "son."
The novel seems to be a divide of three types of scenes--TV informative/King Cable development, minor fun scenes involving character conflict, and Dominic King. The plot is there--it does not flounder though it sometimes tells more than shows. It is more of a snapshot view plot, zeroing in on important meetings or events which it only later follows up on in asides from the characters. Most of the major changes in environment, status, and business and told rather than shown. The company starts out dismal--no important ratings or recognition--and Bobby resurrects it from the depths of obscurity to a height unimagined by anyone in the King family but Skyler. It is this upsurge and the events that follow, that are the plot meat of the book.
Educational and entertainment wise, there are several rewarding segments. There are some minor pieces placed early in the book that come out to play nicely and unexpectedly later--. There are also several very enjoyable segments about the progression and internal dynamics of the cable company--the creation of shows or compilations and stunts that give the channels more air time, the firing and hiring of workers and the role of various departments--that show Flanagan's expertise in his subject matter (he himself is a TV executive for MTV and essayist for CBS); while they are followed up on, it left me wishing he spent more time finalizing or continuing these interesting TV development segments.
These segments, though, were the most rewarding part of the book for me. I learned so much about how TV operates behind the scenes on the executive level, and this knowledge alone almost made me give the book four stars. It was fun learning and never dull, although sometimes verbose with TV vocab--not a bad thing. Ultimately, though, the lack of character development (was there any?) and a lightweight plot made me drop it to three stars.
Although there are some nicely written side characters--Abigail and Dash and Boris (especially Boris; I would have loved to learn more about him) are my favorites--some of the minor characters were very cardboardy (Moe and Beth come to mind) with one dimensional motivations and lines that often make you grimace because of how cliche it fits their stereotype.
Other characters are complex, intriguing, and morally gray--Kenny and especially Dominic King being the most fleshed out of the bunch. This saved the character section, but unfortunately, the lack of intrigue and development and realism in the other main characters--Skyler, somewhat Annie, and big time in Bobby Kahn--make the majority of the characters unmemorable and dull.
There's no clear "thing" this story is about when talking about the big picture. It educates much about TV-land, gives some interesting characters some interesting conflicts, but it falls short of being a great or even a quite good novel. It somewhat discusses about what sells on TV, why it sells, and how it's sold. But it doesn't really comment on it much, at least in my opinion. Perhaps Bobby Kahn's career is a symbolic parallel to modern society's obsession with television and the greedy TV execs who spoon-feed them garbage while the internal King drama represents the competing interests of Wall Street power players in light of a deconstructionist view of modern capitalism and American entertainment? I doubt it, but it would have been nice. There are some echoes of deeper themes--the effects of capitalism, human nature and how it is symbolized on TV, love and rejection--but ultimately, it was mostly all a book about a TV executive and a dysfunctional power family told for a fun read.
It could have used a couple hundred extra pages to flesh out the King family and their rivalry and interpersonal and intertown conflict to give it more "umph" and that epic real human story that fills so many good books. And perhaps, it would have been nice to see the plot a little more connected, tied together, and give more of those rewarding "ahh" moments that a well-woven plot does.
So, ultimately, three stars and a recommendation to anyone who wants to learn more about how TV operates behind the scenes. Also, if the stuff about Dominic and Kenny sounded intriguing to you, I would recommend it as long as you aren't expecting a really good payoff or character analysis. Because of his extensive expertise and the fun, entertaining way of writing about TV behind-the-scenes, I would easily read another novel by Flanagan (I've heard A&R has a similar setup but is better executed). So--three stars. I feel this fits--Goodreads calls three stars "I like it." I do like it. I like it a nice little bit.
September 10, 2018
I liked it. The mention of so many old tv shows that I am familiar with brought back nice memories.
August 8, 2011
Perhaps I was spoiled by A&R, Flanagan's previous book, but I just couldn't get quite as much into this book. It was well-written and downright charming, but it just lacked something that I feel like he nailed in his previous effort. The book started out strong, but I feel like as it wore on, he gradually lost focus and kept piling on auxiliary characters rather than focusing on the quality work he'd done establishing the main players in the book.
Still, I really do enjoy his style and wit, and the book sure moves quickly, so I can't complain too much. It definitely kept my interest and didn't feel very long at all, probably due to the most part to the fact that all the chapters were done in a few pages. Clearly he has a solid grasp of the subject matter and did a fantastic job of keeping the information professionally accurate yet accessible for a wide array of readers, so I would recommend it if you're looking for something kind of light and fun to read.
Still, I really do enjoy his style and wit, and the book sure moves quickly, so I can't complain too much. It definitely kept my interest and didn't feel very long at all, probably due to the most part to the fact that all the chapters were done in a few pages. Clearly he has a solid grasp of the subject matter and did a fantastic job of keeping the information professionally accurate yet accessible for a wide array of readers, so I would recommend it if you're looking for something kind of light and fun to read.
June 10, 2008
This book put me very much in mind of Carl Hiaasen and Donald Westlake, although it's not a mystery. The characters and some of the situations are very similar in type and tone. Sure, it's not a startlingly new story, and the ending is a little weak, but it was certainly a fun read, with just enough incite into the programming process to make me look twice at some of the "stunts" I see advertised. Plus, I'm a comic book fan from 'way back, so any book that debates the merits of Kirby's art is a treat!
April 20, 2016
Waste of time
The author is good at mechanics, good pacing, good descriptions, but to what end? This was a meandering book, with a bare plot. I'd like to call it a character study, yet most characters are like Swiss cheese. Most of the "big ideas" of the book are poorly fleshed out, or seemingly thrown in after the fact to make the book seem like there is a point.
In summary, it was a waste of time.
The author is good at mechanics, good pacing, good descriptions, but to what end? This was a meandering book, with a bare plot. I'd like to call it a character study, yet most characters are like Swiss cheese. Most of the "big ideas" of the book are poorly fleshed out, or seemingly thrown in after the fact to make the book seem like there is a point.
In summary, it was a waste of time.
January 27, 2008
I think I'd actually rate this about a 3.5 if it were possible.
this was an entertaining and at times funny read about a tv exec that takes the helm at a struggling family run cable tv company in Rhode Island. This falls into the good commute reading category - not heavy duty nor groundbreaking but entertaining from beginning to end - something to take your mind of a long bart ride.
this was an entertaining and at times funny read about a tv exec that takes the helm at a struggling family run cable tv company in Rhode Island. This falls into the good commute reading category - not heavy duty nor groundbreaking but entertaining from beginning to end - something to take your mind of a long bart ride.
July 13, 2008
This was a pretty good book...very entertaining and easy to read. There were several parts that offered an interesting commentary on today's society, especially the idea of thinking about what sells on television. There was nothing wrong with it, and I would have a hard time thinking of someone who wouldn't enjoy its humor and irony.
August 2, 2011
Just OK.Barely. Half full of sound and fury, definitely signifying nothing. Read this if you are a television executive who has been fired repeatedly from meaningless jobs. Otherwise, go pick up Melville, or Austen, or King or Koontz or Poe or Dickens or Bradbury or Tolkien or Hardy or Christie, or...well, you get the drift.
September 5, 2007
Pretty insubstantial, but a fun read. I feel like ending the book with Annie was a mistake, as she was one of the least developed characters to that point. The book does paint a good picture of the bulk of the modern TV climate. I'd say borrow this one, but don't rush out to buy it.
January 7, 2008
I picked this book up at the library when I was too busy to really look for a good book. It was an entertaining read about television written by a television insider. Some wacky stuff and some good insights into our crazy culture.
September 24, 2007
A fun comic novel about a small cable television network in Rhode Island, written by a television insider.
September 24, 2007
This book was fun to read -- the King family is eccentric in the best sense of the work. It also takes a surprisingly understanding look at family relationships and sibling rivalry. I enjoyed it!
October 15, 2007
I got about halfway through this when I left it at a hotel in Louisville. It seems ok, but I can't say I was that upset when I lost it.
June 15, 2015
I think I was under the impression that this was going to be some sort of weird, artsy-fartsy read, but it was actually just good storytelling.
April 11, 2008
Simultaneously snarkier and more real than A&R, Flangan's take on the TV industry made me laugh out loud. And wish he'd write about print media next.
June 4, 2008
A fun ride from Bill Flannagan, of MTV/VH1 & CBS Sunday Morning. I liked A&R better, but this one is a fun inside look at the Cable TV industry.
November 23, 2008
Smart book about a top tv executive who gets fired and reinvents himself in cable among some really strange and funny characters.
November 5, 2009
I liked reading about the creative process of TV people in this book. Something I'd never really thought about before.
December 8, 2009
Strong start, but fell apart by the end. The focus widened to include a larger cast of characters and the book lost its momentum.
June 24, 2011
Not as well-written or as acidly funny as his first novel, A & R, but I can think of worse ways to pass an afternoon.
May 5, 2015
REALLY funny!
June 27, 2008
Very funny little book. Terrific characters, fun, easy read.
July 9, 2008
Entertaining, fast read.
September 13, 2009
felt very pop-culture-y. good story, interesting characters.
April 24, 2015
Easy, fun read. Not too deep
February 13, 2019
I've read all Bill's novels because he's a friend, and until now wasn't particularly impressed. This, however, was absolutely hysterical, especially if you're a Rhode Islander. It's a bit dated, but still quite entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews