The most successful producer in the history of television, Aaron Spelling began his career with writer/producer credits on such classic early television fare as Zane Grey Theater and Playhouse 90 in the 1950s, and 40 years later has more than 3,000 productions to his credit, including such audience favorites as The Mod Squad (1960s); Charlie's Angels, Love Boat, and Fantasy Island (1970s); Dynasty and Family (1980s); Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Dawson's Creek, 7th Heaven, and Charmed (1990s). Interspersed with these series were critically acclaimed television series such as Day One and And the Band Played On.

Despite his success, Spelling has never been a favorite of the critics. "There is good and there is bad Spelling," a Washington Post TV critic stated in a 1996 Los Angeles Times Magazine article, "but there is never great Spelling, only degrees of terribleness." Yet, even his severest detractors agree that...