Former NBC entertainment president Warren Littlefield isn’t just airing some old Friends’ dirty laundry in his new memoir, Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV. The book, coming out May 1 from Doubleday Publishing, recounts — through anecdotes from cast members and executives of NBC’s hit shows such as Seinfeld, Cheers and ER — one of the most successful eras in network television. From the vantage point of the Top of the Rock, readers will be able to delve into NBC’s former golden years and come to understand what led to the net’s eventual fall. B&C compiled the following book reviews from around the Web.
“Warren Littlefield, former head of entertainment at NBC, did right in opting not to deliver the typical insider memoir that usually comes from a network executive — blah, blah, blah.” –Sherryl Connelly, N.Y. Daily News
“While the general public will likely focus on how Seinfeld got made and what made the cast of Friends tick, industry insiders will be looking for dirt, and there is no shortage of that.” –Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times
“A chronicle of the last golden age of network television, it is the literary equivalent of a former NBC Thursday-night lineup: a little humor, a little drama, a little dreck (but not enough to ruin the fun), plus a surprising dose of smarts and a bit more self-congratulation than necessary.” –Andy Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter
“The focus is squarely on primetime — with the subtitle “Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV” — and there’s scant mention of NBC’s post — Johnny Carson late-night succession, arguably the most dramatic aspect of Littlefield’s tenure.” –Brian Lowry, Variety
