What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History

What Were They Thinking? catalogs and ranks television's most notorious missteps, failures, and questionable decisions across multiple decades of broadcasting history. Author David Hofstede examines 100 incidents from major networks and shows, presenting them in countdown format from bad to worst. The book covers a range of television disasters, from ill-conceived spinoffs and controversial casting changes to offensive commercials and mishandled live broadcasts. Each entry provides context about the shows or personalities involved, explains what went wrong, and details the resulting fallout or consequences. Through interviews, archival research, and industry insights, Hofstede reconstructs the decision-making processes and circumstances that led to these memorable TV blunders. The coverage spans from the early days of television through modern programming mishaps. The compilation serves as both entertainment and cautionary tale, highlighting how even experienced television professionals can make fundamental errors in judgment when attempting to create content for mass audiences. This historical record of television's biggest mistakes offers perspective on the evolution of broadcast standards and audience expectations.

Readers found this book entertaining but superficial in its analysis of TV blunders. Several reviewers noted that many selections seem based on personal opinion rather than documented impact or historical significance. Likes: - Quick, digestible format for each entry - Includes lesser-known TV disasters - Contains photos and behind-the-scenes details - Good bathroom reading material Dislikes: - Too much focus on recent events vs historical ones - Many questionable inclusions/rankings - Author's conservative bias comes through - Lacks depth in analysis - Multiple factual errors noted by TV industry professionals Ratings: Amazon: 3.5/5 (42 reviews) Goodreads: 3.3/5 (89 ratings) "More like a blog post than a book" - Amazon reviewer "Fun but frustrating - author clearly has an agenda" - Goodreads review "Needed better research and fact-checking" - TV historian on LibraryThing Several readers suggested David Bushman's "TV's Biggest Blunders" as a more comprehensive alternative.

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🎬 This book was released in 2004 and covers television blunders from the 1950s through the early 2000s, making it a comprehensive half-century review of TV's biggest mistakes. 📺 The top spot (#1 dumbest moment) in the book is awarded to the "Heidi Game" of 1968, when NBC cut away from the final minutes of an exciting Raiders-Jets football game to begin showing the children's movie "Heidi" on schedule. ✍️ Author David Hofstede has written several other pop culture books, including "Planet of the Apes: An Unofficial Companion" and "5000 Episodes and No Commercials: The Ultimate Guide to TV Shows On DVD." 🏆 The book includes not just programming mishaps but also behind-the-scenes decisions, failed pilots, controversial cancellations, and notorious casting choices that networks came to regret. 📊 Many events featured in the book led to significant changes in television practices, such as the Quiz Show Scandals of the 1950s, which resulted in stricter regulations for game shows and contest programs.