Brett Martin’s book is in some ways similar to the television shows it examines. It draws the reader on with exciting details and makes one look forward to the next chapter.
According to author Martin, we are now in a new and particularly powerful golden age of television. The rise of cable networks, with fewer restrictive considerations than their broadcast counterparts, have allowed the growth of series with very few or, in some cases, no boundaries. Subject matter that would have been taboo in recent times is now the very fuel that the new television revolution runs on.
The difficult men in Martin’s title are the men—and women—who are the ruling powers behind such masterfully dramatic series as The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. These so-called show runners are indeed difficult. They often resemble legendary despotic dictators, but with a creative twist. The author’s incredibly specific insider views of the meeting rooms and story conferences that lead to the creation of the epic shows may leave you despising some of the show runners and being thoroughly disgusted by others. But then one looks at the shows themselves—and their impact on the cultural landscape—and suddenly all is forgiven.
Brett Martin not only takes his readers inside the alcohol, tobacco, fear-sweat, and ego reeking rooms where the shows are conceptualized and planned, he has an uncanny knack for letting us peek into the thoughts of some of his difficult subjects. He often traces parallel paths between a writer or producer’s personal life and habits and the life of the same person as it affects the creative project at hand.
In the world of Difficult Men, no act of creativity, and no moment of genius, exists without a corresponding moment of insecurity, treachery, or cruelty. Shows are cancelled, writers are fired, and actors written out of successful shows, sometimes for good and reasonable causes, but often on egotistically subjective whims.
The series that is a main cornerstone of the book’s explorations—and arguably a major cornerstone of the new golden age—is The Sopranos. Martin’s detailed study of how that show came to exist and the process that led to its unprecedented success could stand as a valuable book on its own. We see that show’s creator, David Chase, as both an unpredictable genius with a golden touch and an astonishing visionary prescience, and as a tyrant who instills fear and loathing in many of those around him. James Gandolfini, the recently deceased virtuoso actor whose portrayal of Tony Soprano, the head of the show’s murderous crime family, set new standards for actors in similar roles is frequently in Difficult Men’s spotlight. He is seen as vulnerable, insecure, and often exhibiting behavior that earns him a place in the author’s list of difficult men and women.
While The Sopranos gets a lion’s share of the book’s attention, the author does not stint when it comes to the other series, both successes and failures, that have changed the way we think of television. Brett Martin’s research is amazing and he weaves his story with a flow of language that is worthy of the best shows he writes about.
