Wednesday, March 24, 2004
THE THING ABOUT REALITY SHOWS
Ok, why is it that any show on television now that doesnt involve actors and scripts is considered a reality show? Really, there isn’t much “real” about any of them.
Take Survivor, for instance. It’s not a reality show. Real life does not involve CBS holding nation wide auditions for contestants to live on an island.
American Idol is another show that unfairly gets lumped into the “Reality” category. Again, it is not. American Idol is merely a televised contest to find the latest flash-in-the-pan pop singer. The only reality in this show is that the winner will have a few radio singles purchased by the brain-dead masses over a year or two and then fade into obscurity.
Offhand, I can only think of one true reality show on TV at the moment. Cops. You see, when I think of “reality television,” I think of a situation where, if the cameras and home viewing audience were removed, the same incidents would still take place.
Let’s be honest. If there were no cameras on the set of American Idol, there would be no contest going on for a record contract. If there were no cameras on whatever island the Survivor contestants are on, they would all board a plane and fly home. But if the cameras weren’t following around the police officers on Cops, there would still be drunken hillbillies running around trailer parks half naked. And that’s what makes it so cool.
But, hey, if it’s more reality that America wants, why is it accepted sugar coated and toxin free? Can’t we take a little pain and grit? Ya know, like in real life. Why not have a camera follow around the sole white kid in a black neighborhood and watch him get his ass beat on a regular basis? We could call it “Survivor: South Central LA.” Or how about a show where a family of four barely stays above the poverty level even while both parents hold down full time jobs? Better yet, how about a show where we can watch the daily experiences of a working mom raising her kids by herself because their father is doing 15-20 for armed robbery? Sounds like a good idea to me.
Sounds a bit more like real life.
Ok, why is it that any show on television now that doesnt involve actors and scripts is considered a reality show? Really, there isn’t much “real” about any of them.
Take Survivor, for instance. It’s not a reality show. Real life does not involve CBS holding nation wide auditions for contestants to live on an island.
American Idol is another show that unfairly gets lumped into the “Reality” category. Again, it is not. American Idol is merely a televised contest to find the latest flash-in-the-pan pop singer. The only reality in this show is that the winner will have a few radio singles purchased by the brain-dead masses over a year or two and then fade into obscurity.
Offhand, I can only think of one true reality show on TV at the moment. Cops. You see, when I think of “reality television,” I think of a situation where, if the cameras and home viewing audience were removed, the same incidents would still take place.
Let’s be honest. If there were no cameras on the set of American Idol, there would be no contest going on for a record contract. If there were no cameras on whatever island the Survivor contestants are on, they would all board a plane and fly home. But if the cameras weren’t following around the police officers on Cops, there would still be drunken hillbillies running around trailer parks half naked. And that’s what makes it so cool.
But, hey, if it’s more reality that America wants, why is it accepted sugar coated and toxin free? Can’t we take a little pain and grit? Ya know, like in real life. Why not have a camera follow around the sole white kid in a black neighborhood and watch him get his ass beat on a regular basis? We could call it “Survivor: South Central LA.” Or how about a show where a family of four barely stays above the poverty level even while both parents hold down full time jobs? Better yet, how about a show where we can watch the daily experiences of a working mom raising her kids by herself because their father is doing 15-20 for armed robbery? Sounds like a good idea to me.
Sounds a bit more like real life.
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