Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy: 100 Things to Love and Hate about TV

Ken Tucker's "Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy" is a collection of short pieces about 100 things the critic either loves or hates about television. Tucker's long, intricate (but always clear), witty sentences are a joy to read. He doesn't talk down to you (which is an occupational hazard for many TV critics.) This may be the most entertaining book of TV criticism since Harlan Ellison's legendary The Glass Teat. Tucker appreciates great art no matter where he finds it; he says that he needs to acknowledge that he has "been nourished as much by 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' as the novels of Philip Roth." As far as I am concerned, this statement hits the bull's-eye (and I speak as a big fan of both Roth and Buffy.) Even more remarkable, Tucker proclaims upfront his status as a "politically progressive member of the east-coast media elite": but he doesn't let his politics get in the way of judging a thing's quality (a true rarity indeed.) Among the surprising targets on his "hate" list are: Ed Asner's "Lou Grant", "The West Wing", "MASH", "Barney Miller", "The Tonight Show", the Smothers Brothers, Edward R. Murrow, "Saturday Night Live", "Family Guy", "Mystery Science Theater 3000", PBS, and "Little House on the Prairie." On the "love" list: Jennifer Garner's red wig, David Caruso, MTV's "The Real World", "NewsRadio", "Cops", "Full House", Aaron Spelling, "Homicide: Life on the Street", Bill O'Reilly, David Duchovny, "Roseanne", Homer Simpson's alcoholism, "Pardon the Interruption", "Laverne and Shirley", "Twin Peaks", and "The Waltons." Nearly every page of this book provides something to delight or infuriate you. Indifference is definitely not Tucker's problem. He shows a lot of guts, especially by allowing the hideous, funny Drew Friedman caricature of him to be on the cover.

Ken Tucker is like one of those great old sportswriters--Grantland Rice or Red Smith--in that he can turn something as sweaty and pedestrian as prime time TV into sheer poetry. His opinions on what is good and bad about television are idiosyncratic, unpredictable (Love "Silk Stalkings"? Hate "Mystery Science Theater"?) and intriguing. But always, always beautifully argued. He's America's best and smartest critic. We're fortunate that he's devoted so much thought and attention to something as accessible as TV.

I don't agree with every single thing Ken Tucker said but on the whole this was a very fun read and amusement. Definitely a book that's fun to share with others with the "Hey! Guess what he had to say about this!" factor. But most importantly, it's obvious Ken Tucker is a fan of TV and he knows his stuff... which makes the book all the more respectable.

Just as he promises in the introduction to "Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy," Ken Tucker has written a book that is "in the spirit of television itself." From the way it's organized to the range of subjects covered, this book made me feel as if I were sitting on a very comfortable sofa alongside a companion who has control of the remote. And glory of glories, this companion, Mr. Tucker, actually knows what he's talking about! The reader moves, chapter to chapter, from sports to news broadcasts to sitcoms to children's programming, etc., all the while being treated to prose that is elegant and intelligent. For instance, in writing about the "irresistible allure" of the show "Cops," Mr. Tucker says, "...I know that, but for the grace of Something or Other, I could easily be a poor devil with his teeth feeling the tension between the street cement and the boot, or be the wearer of the boot, testing a terrible power." This is good stuff, indeed. So every time he spurns a show I love (he hates "A Charlie Brown Christmas"?), I have to admit that he makes his points with precision and a wider range of cultural knowledge than I have, while I try, unsuccessfully, to persist in stubbornly wallowing in nostalgia. Hats off to you, Mr. Tucker. When's your next book?

You have to love a well known award-winning critic, who is willing to praise Aaron Spelling and pan M*A*S*H. Of course he also takes the time to take down such icons as the Smother's Brothers, who in my opinion have been foisted upon the American public as the be all and end all of high brow political commentary (try sitting thru tapes of some of those old shows.) I was especially floored by the chapter about Vengeance Unlimited -- an obscure show starring Michael Madsen -- which Tucker very accurately calls one of the most underrated shows of the '90s. Anyone who is that on point with his comments is worth listening to. I certainly didn't agree with everything in the book -- but my Spider-sense is that was the point. This book is interesting and well written and Tucker is not afraid to go out on a limb and tick people off. There's alot to both love and hate about that kind of approach. Whether you love or hate TV you will love this book.