The legendary creator of iconic television programs All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Norman Lear remade our television culture, while leading a life of unparalleled political, civic, and social involvement. Sharing the wealth of Lear's ninety years, this is a memoir as touching and remarkable as the life he has led.

An Emmy Award-winning original Saturday Night Live writer draws on personal memories and interviews with such contemporaries as Eric Idle and Dave Barry in a cultural memoir that includes discussions of the creative process behind classic skits. --

"This is a collection of interviews with writers, creators, and show runners of some of the greatest sitcoms of all time, including The Honeymooners, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Simpsons. The writers discuss their experiences working on some of the most popular--not to mention funniest--shows ever"--

"Ever since Johnny Carson first popularized the late-night talk show in 1962 with The Tonight Show, the eleven p.m. to two a.m. comedy time slot on network television has remained an indelible part of our national culture. More than six popular late-night shows air every night of the week, and with recent major shake-ups in the industry, late-night television has never been more relevant to our public consciousness than it is today. Jon Macks, a veteran...

"Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor, Colin Jost, has six sets of stitches on his face alone. He's been punched in at least four different sketches on Saturday Night Live, including once by his boss, Lorne Michaels. But if there's one trait that makes someone well suited to comedy, it's being able to take a punch-metaphorically and, occasionally, physically. From growing up as an overweight kid in a family of firefighters...

"For many years, television comedy was an exclusive all boys' club--until a brilliant comedian named Carol Leifer came along, blazing a trail for funny women everywhere. From Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live to Seinfeld, The Ellen Show, and Modern Family, Carol has written for and/or performed on some of the best TV comedies of all time. This hilarious collection of essays charts her extraordinary three-decade journey through...

Authors Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis present 24 of Hollywood's top comedy writers with the same generic comedy premise and examine how each writer approaches the creative writing process.