Fool of me to ever think that I was perhaps the sole
go-to when concerning miniseries and books from which they are based. Of
course, other people, like this Scott Humphries fellow here, could be as
knowledgeable, if not more. I recently discovered him on Facebook. After happily browsing his online page I told
myself that I had to get a copy of THE
AGE OF MELODRAMATIC MINISERIES, and I’m so glad I did.
This highly entertaining book brings you right back into the era of high-budget TV adaptations based
on American trashy bestsellers found mostly in supermarkets and airports.
Moreover, the book also goes abroad by focusing on other minis derived from original
ideas like Australian FLAIR and RING OF SCORPIO which I barely knew about. Humphries
takes an in-depth look at all of their glorious and sometimes not so glorious productions
and gleefully shows us what made them tick.
From ‘Defining the Genre’ (‘Character Types and Tropes’...)
to ‘Analyzing the Texts’ (‘Work, Power and Conflict’...) Scott’s thesis-like book is fun, insightful,
filled with on-set photographs and publicity stills, and will certainly make
you feel nostalgic. A truly treasure trove for lovers of ‘80s miniseries everywhere.
So, go on, do as I did. Take a look at THE
AGE OF MELODRAMATIC MINISERIES and enjoy the ride.
Until next post—Martin
