There are two kinds of viewers in this world: (a) those who watch television to get entertained and (b) those who watch to get influenced. People Television Shows That Changed Our Lives caters to the latter category of viewers and discusses those TV shows that changed the lives of all those who saw them and got influenced (in a good way). That means that before F.R.I.E.N.D.S. shaped the views of its audience, there were other TV shows that had ‘been there, done that!’

It is through this book that some younger readers will learn that before there was ‘The Rachel’ (Jennifer Aniston in Friends) haircut, there was ‘The ‘Farah Fawcett’ look accompanied by feathered hair that made her an overnight sensation. Other interesting facts include how before Bruce Willis uttered ‘Yippee Ki Yay’ in Die Hard, he was a TV star, and that ‘Daisy Duke Hot Pants’ were so way ahead of the times that they gave sleepless nights to the executives. Readers will discover how the 24-hour news cycle wasn’t always a reality and faced criticism before becoming a part of our lives.

Divided into eight categories, this book covers the best of the best TV shows; there is a category for the ‘Crowd Pleasers’, another for ‘Game Changers’, and one each for ‘Cult Classics and ‘Fashion’. But that’s not all. You will find some of the most popular TV shows in the chapters titled ‘Guilty Pleasures’, ‘Moments’, ‘That’s So ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, 00’s!’ and ‘My, My, My Generation’. Not only did the writers do a great job in compiling the history of TV shows, but the pictures are of equal importance as well. Don’t laugh at some of the older pictures of your favorite stars because before many became huge in films, they were ‘small’ on TV!

The title of this book suggests that it covers 40 years of TV (from 1970 to 2010), but that’s not entirely correct. Its journey begins from The Twilight Zone that aired in the late 1950s; it goes on to cover Star Trek in the 1960s, followed by Dynasty and Melrose Place from the 1980s. The X-Files bring in the 1990s viewership and even Lost and 24 are featured as part of pop culture vernacular. Your little gray cells will also be put to test while you are going through this book with a quiz that is not just as per your liking but also interesting enough to share with friends.

Don’t be surprised to find out that Michael J Fox’s return to TV was considered a rarity for no former teen idol before him had a second hit series as a grown-up; William Shatner appeared in The Twilight Zone on multiple occasions before he joined Star Trek and that Laurence Fishburne played ‘Cowboy Curtis’ in Pee Wee’s Playhouse before he entered films and went onto become the iconic Morpheus in The Matrix. With this book in your hand, you can travel between 1960s and 2010s in no time, without leaving the comfort of your home, or without moving an inch from your armchair!

– Omair Alavi is a broadcast journalist who can be contacted at omair78@gmail.com