What the heck is it with these so-called “reality TV” shows? What do you see in these things? I hear we’re all doomed when the writer’s strike comes this Fall. Aren’t you just sick of it, especially when so many have been exposed as being fixed or biased? Enough is enough!
OK, I now return you back to your regularly scheduled reality…
It’s like opera. Either you choose to enjoy the conventions of the genre, or you don’t.
I think it would be interesting for some sociologist to write about the popularity of reality TV and the rise of Internet discussions… I think a huge component of reality TV is the social aspect of gossiping, speculating, and arguing about the shows. The fact that they are talking about real people (even if the circumstances are contrived) make it much more interesting to talk about than fictional shows like Friends.
I’m a little eye-rolling at the hand-wringing of culturally superior people, even though I personally don’t watch R-TV with one notable exception (Idol). I don’t think it’s any worse than the crap that was on before.
It is hard for me to find drama from people with whom I have no connection. In fiction, there’s the whole suspension of disbelief thing going on that gets me involved. In Reality TV, there isn’t. I don’t care about these people. They’re problems are uninteresting. You can’t pull a random guy off the street and expect there to be some connection for me. The one reality show I was really enjoying was the Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance show. But it had actors in it. Survivor is ok, I don’t object to it, and when I watch it I enjoy it, no question; but it can’t hook me. I haven’t watched in weeks.
I don’t care about these people. They’re normal. What the hell do I care about normal people on my television. If I found normal people entertaining I’d go get a life, not watch TV.
For all that, I wouldn’t object to it so much if FOX wasn’t swamping the airwaves with their trashy versions of it. I’d rather they kept real shows on, like Wonderfalls and Tru Calling. Mediocre fiction is infinitely more viewable to me than mediocre RTV.
Cite? I’m really interested in hearing about any actual evidence that any of the U.S. reality shows are fixed. Although I know that there has been plenty of speculation about various shows and their outcomes, I’m not aware of any proof being presented.
I see reality shows as just another television genre. I enjoy NYPD Blue; I don’t enjoy CSI: Miami. I enjoy Frasier; I don’t enjoy Friends. I enjoy The Apprentice; I don’t enjoy The Bachelor. Just as with any other type of television show, there are good ones and bad ones, ones that will appeal to a particular person and ones that won’t. Also, just like any other genre, they’ll have times when they are extraordinarily popular, and times when they’re not.
I find them fascinating. I actually think we are waking up to the nonsense of celebrity. I think it’s becoming clearer and clearer that any arsehole can be a celebrity for no reason whatever: and that we don’t care! Just like in the UK, we all know a constitutional monarch is a totally different thing from an olden-days absolute-sovereign off-with-your-head King, but we couldn’t care less! We just want to stare at someone!
You ever wonder what happened to Uri Geller? He’s currently doing the reality tv circuit in the UK. The man is everything that is great about pointless celebrity.
It’s car-crash TV, but the car-crash is happening inside the mind of our own culture. The Overlord of TV is slowly realising “Wait… I’ve… I’ve just spent the last 100 years creating mindless celebrities out of empty, cardboard lives! I was supposed to be a great invention!”
He’s not quite there yet though. Give it another few seasons. These are all signs of the apocalypse, go check. Next one up is… leafs feverishly through almanac… Uri Geller runs against Schwarzenegger… hmmm…
The only Reality TV show I like is Blind Date. And that’s only because of the Mystery Science Theater-quality of commentary via graphics.
I really liked reality TV when it arrived on our screens first, especially Big Brother (UK), but now I am completely sick and saturated with it. I am also concerned because I think that it is having to become more and more personal to keep viewers interested, so it’s now doing things like swapping couples around for a fortnight (Wife Swap, it?s called in the UK, which has resulted in some family break ups) and such like to continue to sate the public’s appetite. What used to be fairly interesting experiments with people is just all very humiliating for me to watch now.