Book Review: Saul Austerlitz - Sitcom A History in 24 Episodes from I Love Lucy to Community

I was always a fan of the early sitcoms. I also enjoy a few of the newer ones, but without the same enthusiasm. "I Love Lucy", "Dick Van Dyke", and the like are classics. When I saw this book was up for review, I jumped at the chance.

Austerlitz takes a look at the history of the sitcom from its earliest days up to the later (30 rock and community). We see some commentary about each show and some interesting "behind the scenes" moments. The writing is fluid and easy to read. You find yourself thinking, "Just one more chapter".

Each chapter is written in episode fashion, with a different show in each chapter. He not only speaks of the show from the title of the chapter, he also interweaves sitcoms that were in some way linked to each show.

I enjoyed the book even if I disagreed on some of his critiques. My disagreements are probably more from my enjoyment of reruns as a kid than from anything said by the author. There are a few spots of foul language that I did not care for, but that is to be expected.

If you love sitcoms or just want a good history of the genre, this would be a good book to pick up.

I recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book, free of charge, from Chicago Review Press Incorporated and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.