How TV Can Make You Smarter

Television critic Shoemaker debuts with a convincing and spirited argument for the educational benefits of TV. She posits that television provides “access to some of the greatest art of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries” and that “to discuss, debate, and dissect” these shows “can, and will, make you smarter.” In her observations about programs including The Twilight Zone, Mad Men (“the story it tells about power, gender, and other aspects of our society has striking contemporary relevance”), and Breaking Bad (“Just because a character is the lead doesn’t mean they’re inherently good... and it doesn’t mean that those who oppose them are bad”), she explores how it is only through an active engagement with the events on the screen that a viewer can truly learn what makes a good TV show tick, and that this “practice in critical thinking”—which includes a viewer’s conversations with friends and on social media—makes it possible that “you’ll wind up appreciating the episode more, because to identify the missteps, you’ve also got to pin down its successes.” TV binge watchers and pop culture fans will relish Shoemaker’s fun and enlightening outing. (Sept.)