Roger SabinRecensioni

I loved reading this book. there are 19 shows with main essays written about them, each one a chapter of about 8 pages or so detailing the history, cultural influence, critical reviews of the era and episodic best of each show. there is also an honorable mention chapter that gives a short essay on numerous other shows that weren't discussed in their own chapter.

As an overview of the shows therein contained, this book worked. It drew excellent connections between shows (especially when noting actors and crew who spanned several shows, or who went on to other types of shows). I enjoyed reading about the changing cinematic styles used on differing shows, which makes me appreciate certain filming techniques more fully, and I particularly enjoyed the connections the authors drew between certain shows and the cultural and political atmospheres surrounding them (such as Ronald Wilson's evaluation of the show "The F.B.I" and the political backdrop of the 1960s, discussed on p. 54). The book also tries to maintain a dialogue about race and gender on cop shows that runs through its several chapters (not an easy feat, given the numerous authors). This was interesting, but might have done better as a separate book; I found it occasionally at odds with the otherwise very straightforward descriptions in several chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed several smaller features of this book. The facts it contains are frequently really interesting, and I learned a lot about cop shows that were released well before my time. On the other hand, perhaps I am not an appropriate reviewer for this book, because I can think of no practical purpose it might serve. To me, it is not academic enough for its recommended use in the classroom. Many of the chapter bibliographies note that scholarly sources on these shows are "surprisingly scant" (Wilson 30) or that "[v]ery little has been written" (Bethell 89), so perhaps this book is simply attempting to initiate the scholarly dialogues it so severely lacks. However, I wish that the chapters themselves had included more actual examples from the shows (such as sample dialogues or evaluations of the most typical or important episodes from a series) and from immediate (if non-scholarly) reviews and sources that analyzed them; I also wish that the chapters on more frequently analyzed shows had engaged more with the sources listed in the bibliographies and notes. Other critical responses were often noted (especially in Sabin's chapters), but rarely actually introduced to the writers' own arguments.

In sum, I feel as if this book tried to be at once both popular and scholarly, and ended up balanced between the two without actually accomplishing either. However, I learned a lot from reading it.

I found this book both intelligent and readable, adjectives not often together describing scholarly works. It is true that the book could be more readable, but it's good enough if one is interested in the subject matter.

For this reader, COP SHOWS is useful in two ways. One, it's fun to read about old series I've seen and pick up interesting bits of information about them. Example: Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, was a cop adviser to Dragnet and other series. Interesting also how many actors and actresses were on several different series.

The second way COP SHOWS is helpful is that it gives me information about series I've never watched, so I can decide if I want to try any of them. In my case it convinced me that I'd not like the CSI programs, but might want to try The Wire.

The 36 brief studies of other cop shows at the back of the book should have been given the same, full treatment as the main programs. A bigger book, yes, but better.

There is a hilarious appendix at the back of the book, a page and a half bit ,"The Tommy WestphallHypothesis" that "proves" that Homocide:Life on the Street, Law & Order, The Wire, and CSI don't exist.

One of the things I miss most about having TV is cop shows. Even though I know most of them are far-fetched and formulaic, I couldn’t help but watch them whenever I wanted a bit of entertainment that still could make me use a few brain cells. It’s almost enough to make me get satellite service. This book didn’t help. For most people it will be a nostalgic look back at some old favorites. Of course there is some critical analysis thrown in as well, but I mostly felt that with shows I wasn’t old enough to watch (FBI) or haven’t yet (The Wire). At times though it feels very much like the textbook it is; that there are discussions that I’m supposed to be having, but as a solitary reader, can’t. Like the transition from lone cops like Columbo to the buddy system, both of which are still staples of the vehicle. I had no idea that Starsky and Hutch pioneered this change.

Things start off with the granddaddy of the genre; Dragnet, which I have watched a time or two, but is pretty well before my time. Moving through a few shows I don’t know at all to ones I know only by reputation; Columbo, Hawaii Five-O and Kojak, my personal nostalgia started with Hill Street Blues, a show I watched with my mom through pretty much all its seasons. I never made the soap opera connection, but it’s definitely there. That and the ensemble cast which continues with even very new cop shows. The authors bridge and delineate very well, transitioning from one leading type to the next. At the end are the honorable mentions; the shows that contributed in smaller ways to the oeuvre as a whole.

This book is designed as a primer for university students studying the history of US cop shows. Despite that, it is perfectly accessible to any reader interested in the subject. Each chapter is 8 or so pages long, and covers a single cop show pf some historical significance in the genre. The chapters follow a uniform format, and describe the contents of the show, something of the making of it, and some analysis of the focus of the show and what makes the show significant. At the end of each chapter is a short recommendation of what episode or two to watch to get an idea of the show, and a brief bibliography for recommended further research. The book spans from "Dragnet" to "Justified" and also provides briefer summaries of other shows not treated in depth. This is a perfectly fine introduction to the subject, and provides intelligent fodder for further thought and research if one were so inclined.

This is could be college ready for TV genres, cop shows so if you are looking for a light or entertaining read put this book down and move on to another. If however you enjoy reading "heavy" books proceed. This had a good mix of cop shows giving a good explanation of why they're included and what made them unique to their eras. A good mix of shows and I enjoyed the 'Recommended' that is included for those in the top spots.

Rather than being a fun, interesting book about our favorite cop shows with color glossies and information about how they originated and what they meant to the world of mysteries, Cop Shows is a text book about how these shows emulated the times in which they ran. The authors describe how women, Latinos and Blacks were portrayed in the shows and how that portrayal changed over time.

the authors state that the aim of the book is primarily pedagogic and offer a pathway to the study of cop shows. As such the writing is text-bookish and the photos are black and white, many of which are grainy. They offer a 'case-study' approach to the shows.

While they cover many of any cop show viewers favorite shows (Dragnet, Highway Patro, Columbo, Kojak, Cagney & Lacey) they offer little insight as to why we love these shows and what makes them great.

Chapters run between 5 and 10 pages. At the end of the book, there are one paragraph synopses some other favorites not covered in the book. There are extensive chapter notes, a bibliography and index.

I much rather read a 'coffee table' book on cop shows than a dry text book on the subject. This book is for student of TV cop shows only.½

I've watched a lot of cop shows over the years and have been enjoying reading this book about them. It's a blend of nostalgia with critical thinking that I find especially appealing. I would have liked cast lists rather than picking up on actors and character names in the text, and also, a listing of shows over the years that fit the genre, rather than just the 'notables.' But overall, this is a good, representative selection of shows.

I would never have thought about anyone doing a critical history of TV police dramas, since most of them are just filler, even though there are a few exceptions. And while I think this book is a little too scholarly for the subject matter, it does present some interesting concepts.

I have always enjoyed cop shows, police procedurals and mysteries in general. My favorite genre is British mysteries / police procedurals. I enjoyed this book, but, did find it a little too academic in its focus. I now realize the book was probably meant for film school students and not the general public. I will keep it in my library as a great reference book about past cop films from my many years of viewing these types of shows. It would also probably be useful to those working in the sociology/psychology fields.

I have loved "cop shows" on television since I can remember, from reruns of Dragnet, to The Rookies, to Hill Street Blues, to Law and Order, so I was looking forward to reading this book. However, it's not just a trip down Memory Lane, but as the title declares, it is a "critical" look at police dramas from the early days of television to the present. It reads more like a psychology textbook than a history, imo. I still enjoyed reading about the series that were the editor's choices for critical review, but enjoyed even more reading the brief synopses about the shows not chosen, in the last chapter. I think I would have appreciated this book more if it had been written in a less "academic" format.

Excellent book on the history of comics and graphic novels. Many great color images and historical information.

This book takes an academic approach to the punk rock movement in the late 70s. It focuses predominatly on England and the social impact that the music had on culture.

Originally I thought this book was pedantic and overly academic but in retrospect it should be recognized as an intellegent insight into the scene during that timeframe.