Nov 14, 2008  |  By: JOEY DiGUGLIELMO  | COMMENTS     

Gay Gen Xers in the mood for fun, quick reads will get a kick out of two new books in “The Q Guide” series devoted to ’70s TV favorites “Wonder Woman” and “Charlie’s Angels” — as long as expectations are kept in check.

“The Q Guide to Wonder Woman” is out this month. “The Q Guide to Charlie’s Angels” came out in July. Both are by gay author Mike Pingel, a former D.C. resident who’s been in Los Angeles 15 years. The books are published by Alyson Books and follow previous “Q Guide” tomes like Jim Colucci’s “The Q Guide to the Golden Girls,” Allen Crowe’s “The Q Guide to Designing Women” and Robb Pearlman’s “The Q Guide to Sex and the City.” The series also ventures beyond TV shows with titles like “The Q Guide to Fire Island,” “The Q Guide to Oscar Parties” and others.

These are handy, fun little books that feature interviews with participants (many obscure), quirky facts and trivia notes and complete episode guides for each series.

Despite their popularity and groundbreaking statements on feminism, neither “Charlie’s Angles,” which ran five seasons on ABC from 1976 to 1981, nor “Wonder Woman,” which ran three seasons on ABC and CBS from 1975 to 1979, are regarded as great shows. Nobody argues they belong in the league of, say, “Mary Tyler Moore” or “All in the Family.” Yet they’ve become cult hits among gays and it’s delightful to see them get the book treatment (this is Pingel’s second “Charlie’s Angels” tome).

But books devoted to hit TV shows have been researched much more exhaustively in other instances. The quality of writing and depth of research that went into Barbara Curran’s “Dallas: The Complete Story of the World’s Favorite Prime-time Soap,” Marc Zicree’s “Twilight Zone Companion” or Geoffrey Fidelman’s “The Lucy Book: A Complete Guide to Her Five Decades on Television,” each of which will stand as definitive histories of the shows they cover, blow these Q Guide books away.

And while it would be fun (and satisfying in an obsessive kind of way) to see “Wonder Woman” and “Charlie’s Angels” get that level of attention, to see them honored even in Q Guide format is a good start. Pingel does a decent job of excavating little-known factoids that should surprise even aficionados — like who knew Charlene Tilton (Lucy on “Dallas”) auditioned for the Wonder Girl (Wonder Woman’s kid sister) role but lost out to Debra Winger (a tidbit not even mentioned during special features on the “Wonder Woman” DVDs)? Pingel wisely sticks to discussions of the show (many books on “Wonder Woman” devote most of their space to her comic book origins).

There are a few holes, though. One of the most glaring aspects that’s glossed over in the “Charlie’s Angels” book is why Farrah Fawcett left after just one season. Pingel, who’s friends with Fawcett, said during a phone interview it came down to a disagreement over how much the actress should get from merchandising that featured her likeness; a lawsuit was settled that involved her making guest appearances in subsequent seasons, which Pingel said Fawcett loved doing.

Since the ostensibly gay connections to the shows were relatively few (the strongest gay ties have come from fans and legacy), Pingel “gays it up” with Q&As with gay celebs like Lady Bunny and Chi Chi LaRue, asking them about their favorite aspects of the shows. Cute idea but it ends up feeling like filler, especially when “Queer as Folk” actor Peter Paige can’t remember a single episode of “Charlie’s Angels.”

Artist Glen Hanson, who does the gay-themed “Chelsea Boys” comic strip, is responsible for the gorgeous (and dead on) caricatures that grace the covers of both books.

So while there are deficiencies — a closer eye on typos being the most glaring — to nitpick too extensively is to miss the point. Pingel doesn’t try to pass these off as scholarly, definitive works. The books work because they’re as fun and kitschy as the shows themselves.

They’re both paperbacks and retail for $12.95. Pingel is working on “The Q Guide to the Brady Bunch.”