This work indexes books, journal articles, and dissertations that mention television shows. One feature is that the references with important or very important information are highlighted. Scholarly works are emphasised but memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, and some popular works meant for fans are also included. The major focus is on service to researchers in the history of television, a growing field. The listings are keyed to an annotated bibliography. In addition, there is a section of works making references to groups (e.g., women, blacks, gays, youth, politicians).

Changes from the second edition include more than 300 new shows, airing on a wider variety of networks; 2000+ references (more than double the second edition); and a large increase in scholarly articles. The book provides access to materials on almost 2300 shows, including groundbreaking ones like All in the Family (almost 200 entries); cult favourites like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (200+ entries); and a classic franchise, Star Trek (more than 400 entries for all the shows). Trends in television programming, such as changing gender roles, are extensively indexed. The shows covered range from the late 1940s to 2010 (The Walking Dead). References range from 1956 to 2013.