Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (4 Volume Set)

Before the Internet and the rise of scholarship on popular culture, Vincent Terrace built his reputation as one of the leading researchers in TV reference. This work represents decades of research and spans television's entire history. While documentation regarding cast and personnel is now often found online, descriptions of the shows from authoritative sources are still not widely available. Terrace fills that gap with this work, which covers over 9,100 shows (including pilots!) and constitutes the most comprehensive documentation of TV series ever published. All the traditional genres are here along with show genres not well covered elsewhere - including children's programming, talk shows, game shows, stage plays, women's programming, dance, and more.

 
- Link: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Television-Shows-1925-through/dp/0786433051