Jenniver Niven, the bestselling author of books for young adults, makes her adult fiction debut with MEET THE NEWMANS. She has produced a glossy, glittering, behind-the-scenes look at the life of a reality TV family…and the slow crumbling of their empire.

For 12 years, Del and Dinah Newman, along with their sons, Guy and Shep, have dominated television with their show, “Meet the Newmans.” Aired in black and white, with the sanitized hominess of “Leave It to Beaver” or “The Brady Bunch,” the series boasts a June Cleaver-esque wife; a charming, sophisticated patriarch; and two rascally sons whose antics bring the show some lighthearted fun. For over a decade, that has been enough to keep viewers tuning in, sponsors handing over lucrative deals, and the network willing to do anything to keep the Newmans happy.

But now it is 1964, and change has come not just to America --- with icons like Malcolm X and Betty Friedan starting to make waves --- but to television itself. The dawn of color TV has arrived, and viewers want edgier, goofier, more absorbing shows, not the homespun “aw, shucks” energy that the Newmans have capitalized on. The problem is, playing themselves on television for over a decade has blurred the lines between reality and fiction. With the uncertainty of the future of their program on the line, the Newmans themselves have started to crack.

"Both a surface-level thrill ride through reality TV and a deeper story about the reclaiming of one’s own narrative, MEET THE NEWMANS is deliciously fun, with a witty, tender and heartbreaking family at its center."

On the day MEET THE NEWMANS opens, Del is involved in a serious car accident. But that is only part of the story, with everything that led him there being far more interesting. To examine the multilayered, complex series of events that landed Del in the hospital, Niven takes readers back 24 hours before the crash. She walks us through the perspectives of Del, Dinah, Guy, Shep and a local reporter to allow us not only to “meet the Newmans,” but to uncover what this public-facing family has long been hiding. 

Despite his hold over the show and its partnership with the network, Del has been making some bad financial choices. Little by little, through generosity (paying for his employees’ families, sharing gifts with neighbors and friends) and necessary but costly splurges (namely paying off gossip rags when his sons get into trouble), he has depleted the family’s accounts. This would be fine if the future of their show was secured. But after a scathing review stating that the Newmans have “overstayed their welcome,” one of its major sponsors has dropped out, and the paychecks Del has become so accustomed to receiving may be nearing their end. Though viewers would never know it, he has become so stressed that he has stopped sharing a room with Dinah and has become harder on his sons, each of whom are adrift in the waves of adolescence and dealing with fame. 

Meanwhile, Dinah is tired of putting on the June Cleaver persona she has perfected: dress stylishly but conservatively; default to your smart, brilliant husband whenever possible; make three well-rounded meals a day; and, of course, inspire housewives everywhere to do more and be better. Or at least that’s what she says. In real life, the Newmans’ meals are prepared by a private chef, Dinah cannot remember the last time she slept with her husband, and she hasn’t been feeling well. Her symptoms are vague --- exhaustion, numbness, tingling --- but in an era that still writes off women’s complaints as “hysteria” or the dreaded “change,” it is difficult to know what is worrisome and what is merely stress. 

As for the Newmans’ boys, 22-year-old Guy, the family favorite, has secretly dropped out of law school and begun a closeted relationship with one of his male friends. The latter bit of news would effectively end not just the show, but probably Guy’s life if Del ever found out. Seventeen-year-old Shep has found rock star-level fame with his voice, but years of dalliances with young female admirers have finally come home to roost. His last hookup is pregnant, and the network --- and his family --- absolutely cannot find out.

So it is that we “meet the Newmans”: adrift, broke, stressed, and on the verge of a major upheaval, both publicly and personally. This is when a major bomb is dropped. Not only are the Newmans at risk of being canceled, they now have exactly two episodes to turn the tide. And that’s not all. The network has the perfect idea to score ratings and bring fans back to the series that has earned them millions: the season finale will be live, and Guy will marry --- not just on TV, but in real life --- his onscreen girlfriend. This will bring the Newmans into a new era that will see Del and Dinah retire to Florida while the boys become the patriarchs and launch a hipper version of the show as they grow into young men. 

As you already know, there’s just one big problem (well, there are many, but that’s what good PR is for): Del has been seriously hurt in his accident and is now in a (hushed, secret) coma. That means that Dinah will have to be the one to save the show, even though Del has managed every plotline, creative direction and production still for the entirety of the series. Knowing that she is out of her league, she invites a young feminist reporter, Juliet Dunne, to help her write the last episode. 

Behind-the-scenes looks at reality TV are always dishy and fun, but it is through the relationship between Dinah and Juliet that the book comes to life. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but like impassioned Juliet, Dinah was once a career girl. She vowed to put off marriage and children until her career as an actress and singer was secure. But to Juliet, it looks like Dinah caved: to her husband, to her family, to everything wrong with how women are treated in America. Having had her own brush with the misogyny of the public, Dinah feels very strongly about the direction that “Meet the Newmans” should take and what it will mean for future generations of women.

Long adept at looking deep into her characters’ psyches, Niven tackles complex (and very adult) themes and interactions. Though occasionally a bit over the top, the characters absolutely soar within the confines of her plot. Happily, despite the sitcom-y nature of the book, Niven never defaults to the expected, sanitized happy endings, though the plot becomes a bit convoluted near the end.

Both a surface-level thrill ride through reality TV and a deeper story about the reclaiming of one’s own narrative, MEET THE NEWMANS is deliciously fun, with a witty, tender and heartbreaking family at its center. The age of color television may have transcended into streaming, but whatever is on your TV, you certainly won’t want to miss meeting the Newmans.