Mixes a cradle-to-grave chronicle with smart observation and analysis ... Just as Serling’s career fizzled out, so does Mr. Sepinwall’s biography—especially as the author, a television critic, several times quotes others’ belief that the liberal-leaning Serling wouldn’t have approved of President Trump. Mr. Sepinwall even indulges in a reference to Hitler.
Both Serling and The Twilight Zone are well documented, but Sepinwall takes a fresh approach. He successfully positions Serling as the first showrunner, whose commitment to prestige television paved the way for Lost, Black Mirror, and numerous pop culture parodies.
Sepinwall never loses sight of the man himself ... The author also provides a compelling psychological profile of Serling: his reputation as TV’s 'Angry Young Man' who frequently clashed with censors, the loving family man who made time for his wife and children amid a grueling schedule, and his shockingly outsize sense of self-criticism ... Thorough, illuminating, and above all deeply empathetic.
An electrifying biography of Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling ... A revelatory tribute to a showrunner who unlocked the door to viewers’ imaginations.
