The book can't compare with the movie, in this case, but Dave Itzkoff's Mad as Hell manages to throw illuminating light on the making of Network and the life of its angry screenwriter, Paddy Chayefsky. Directed by the brisk and businesslike Sidney Lumet, Network comes off in this telling as a largely trouble-free shoot, with the exception of some nonsense from Faye Dunaway. The real drama came earlier as Chayefsky negotiated for control over the project. Itzkoff is especially good when he delves into the life of Peter Finch, who was an extreme long shot for Howard Beale when casting began but who performed the role unforgettably.
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