Very interesting and worthwhile book, either as reference tool or as something to dip into casually. American-oriented of course, but as most of the shows have made it to local TV at some time or other, its not a huge problem to find plenty of shows that viewers from around the world will recognise. I was particularly impressed with the detail given to the decades long and hideously convoluted plots of the daytime soaps. Some of the synopses ran to 10 or more pages - now thats attention to detail, to the nth degree. Daytime TV is usually scorned as the low-rent preserve of homebound housewives, the retired, and the perennially unemployed, but this book shows that much real groundbreaking and quality television has been shown between 9 am and 4pm. And its all in here. ( )