When the subject comes up of reality TV people seem to have mixed feelings. Some people are obsessed with it and cannot get enough. Others absolutely cannot stand to watch one minute of it, thinking it is frivolous and mind numbing filler television. Whatever your thoughts may be it seems that reality TV is here to stay (at least for now) and is growing each year in popularity. What many people do not realize is that true reality TV began as early as the 1970s gaining more momentum in the late 80s, 90s and exploding in today's television market..
The first reality TV show was in 1973 even though it was not officially named as such. It was a documentary produced by PBS called The American Family. In this series that was edited to 12 hours in length, the Loud Family allowed a producer named Craig Gilbert to film them in their home for 7 long months. The series chronicled the breakup of Bill and Pat Loud's marriage and the coming out of their gay son, Lance. Peo ple were riveted by their story and it drew over 10 million people during its time on the air.
Next came the series The Real World on MTV debuting in 1992. It brought to the younger generation a story about six twenty-something strangers living in a very cool house rent free and taking on a group job for spending money. Throw in some male-female drama, wild parties, differing personalities and sparks flew. Each season, a new cast moves into a different city and home and takes on a new job situation. Currently in its 17th season it is still very popular with high school and college kids.
Today, there are too many reality TV shows to name, the top one today being American Idol and Survivor with many more being produced each year. Those who are against this genre sight many reasons as to why it is not for them. One such reason being that reality television is often thought to be scripted and truly not real life. With ratings being the way to stay on the air, producers and directors may take a real life situation and give it their own personality complete with scripted dialogue for the actors to recite. Also, when these real people get on air, they may act and react differently than if there was no camera around. Fancy editing of hundreds of hours of tape can misrepresent situations and the reality actors. In essence, non-fans see reality TV shows as fake television with bad acting.
Those fans who scramble to the television each week to see the plethora of reality TV each week see this entertainment differently. They like the psychological and physical drama of everything from Survivor to Amazing Race. Thought of as reality soap operas, fans cannot wait for the next episode which is bound to rev their own adrenaline and excitement level. These people take their reality TV very seriously. Maybe it is because they can relate to the people more readily than today's glitzy Hollywood actors and actresses.
Will reali ty TV ride out its popularity in the future? Time will only tell it seems. One thing is for sure is that right now it is hard to get away from when channel surfing. Although we all hate the high cable bills for the hundreds of channels we get, at least there will always be something on for the reality Tv fan and hater alike.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Reality TV
Author:: Michael Russell
Keywords:: reality TV
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