Ferndale author Chris Morgan is showing off a print depicting Niles from “Frasier,” one of his favorite TV shows from the ’90s. (Photo provided by Chris Morgan)
Chris Morgan doesn’t just watch TV.
he is studying it. he analyzes it. he criticizes it. And I write a lot about it.
Sure, it’s entertainment, but it’s also life.
Mr. Morgan, a Sterling Heights native and Ferndale resident, just published his third book on television, a comprehensive assessment of what he considers “a quality decade for television.”
The book, 99 Episodes that Defined the ’90s: Television Milestones from Arsenio to Homer to Yada Yada Yada, is a deep dive into the decade’s culture, influences, and television tastes. (Viewers familiar with this decade’s TV shows will remember late-night host Arsenio Hall, comic father Homer Simpson, and Jerry Seinfeld’s “Yada, Yada,” short for “Blah, Blah, Blah.” ).
For Morgan, the past decade is both a reason for reflection and an opportunity to remember an era marked by social change and long periods of peace and prosperity. Hip-hop grew, the Soviet Union disbanded, and the Nasdaq exchange became the first U.S. stock market to trade online.
Television had a variety of popular shows, from “Beavis and Butthead” to “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Friends” and “Frasier.”
For Morgan, the past decade has been a ripe time for reflection.
“It’s been a very interesting decade culturally and a decade of great television,” he said. “And I realized there was a lot of nostalgic attention and critical thinking about the ’80s, and I thought there was a niche for books about the ’90s and television.”
The result is a book of 99 TV episodes spanning the past 10 years, one from a wide range of TV shows, from sitcoms and anime to game shows and police dramas.
Publisher McFarland Books describes its goal as follows: “Some of these episodes became iconic and helped define the ’90s. Others reflected what was happening in the world at the time.”
Morgan, 37, said “it wasn’t difficult at all” to put everything together. Morgan developed an “affinity” for television from a young age, dividing his time between school, soccer, hockey and TV time.
“Back then, television wasn’t considered ‘evil’ the way people think of it today,” Morgan said.
He remembers growing up with his parents, younger brother and sister, and “many uncles, aunts, and cousins.”
Television programming at the time included “The Simpsons,” “Genie Dreams,” quiz shows, and other offerings consistent with the decade, available at the then-growing Blockbuster Video Store.
In a memory familiar to her contemporaries, Morgan recalls watching TV late at night in her bedroom with the volume turned low “so my parents wouldn’t notice.”
These days, I often watch programs on the TV in my living room or while riding my stationary bike, so I can kill two birds with one stone.
His viewing habits are “less ritualized” and his interests are wide-ranging. Favorites from the ’90s? “The Simpsons” includes an episode remembered as “The Itch, the Scratch, the Poochie Show.”
“To me, ‘The Simpsons’ is one of the great achievements of television,” Morgan said.
Other favorites include “Frasier,” “Columbo” and, in honor of Michigan comedian and actor Tim Allen, “Home Improvement.”
After graduating from Wayne State University in 2009 with a degree in film studies, Morgan spent several years in Los Angeles as a budding screenwriter. She then began her career as a freelance writer, specializing in sports, pop culture, fiction, nonfiction, and television.
His previous books include “Nickelodeon 90s: Cartoons, Game Shows, and a Lot of Slime” and “Comic Galaxy of Mystery Science Theater 3000: 12 Classic Episodes and Movies Coming.”
His books are available at mcfarlandbooks.com.