Read a Good Book Lately? : Difficult Men by Brett Martin (2013). by Marcel Nault Jr.

The full title: Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution: from The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad, by Brett Martin, published in 2013 for Penguin Press.

It essentially tells the ascension of the figure of the sole creator of a TV series, i.e. a showrunner, with many tales harkening back to the glory days of HBO, AMC, FX and Showtime with visionaries, albeit eccentric and difficult in their own way like David Chase, David Simon, David Milch, Shawn Ryan, Matthew Weiner and - less difficult - Vince Gilligan. This ascension is translated and written in the form of tormented criminals, existentialist figures, despicable and flawed men, signaling the age of anti-heroes in television, but also this so-called "Third Golden Age of Television".

They always say "never meet your heroes", right? You'll understand more by reading this book. It's a captivating look at what really happens in a writer's room. It's also a great entryway for those who have dismissed television as an art form or as a "new" way of telling a compelling story.