"...Gianakos has done for television what Roget did for the Thesaurus and Bartlett did for Familiar Quotations. He has codified the industry, brought order out of chaos, made sense of what for decades was insensible. He is a pioneer, and his works will have a significant effect for generations."-From the Introduction by Allan Kalmus For more than a decade, Gianakos' truly comprehensive chronicles of American television have been considered classic references. This is the first volume of the long-anticipated 6-volume series. The overview blends a thorough discussion of individual series and specials with a political, sociological, and psychological examination of the whole range of powerful images conveyed. A "Days and Times" section covers virtually all that was of dramatic import on and off the major networks and cable. Following are sections on series initiated previously; series inaugurated during the current period; series not previously chronicled; and a cumulative index of series titles.