# Prognosticate: What will replace reality shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237 "2004-10-20T16:33:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/1 "2004-10-20T16:33:13Z")
Nothing lasts forever, especially on television. Eventually, the public will lose interest in “reality shows.” The question is, what will be the next big trend? Back to sitcoms? A new crop of action-oriented shows? Something completely different? What are your thoughts/guesses/hopes/fears/etc? ---
**Author:** ![mbacko1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@mbacko1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbacko1)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/2 "2004-10-20T16:36:21Z")
Scripted dramas are still strong and will continue to be strong. Deadwood, Carnivale, Lost, Desperate Housewives, CSIx3 , The Law and Orders shows, all are doing well. I think sit-coms are a failing genre. The only ones I really enjoy now are Scrubs, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/3 "2004-10-20T16:40:53Z")
Sitcoms/dramas starring reality show personalities, i.e. pulling people off the street to perform. I expect to see two or three politically-centered dramas a la _The West Wing_. Why this hasn’t already happened, I have no idea. I expected there to have been at least an attempt at cloning this show. With more and more recognizable, pseudo-movie stars taking up roles on TV (Teri Hatcher, Gary Sinise, Denis Leary), I expect more of that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/4 "2004-10-20T16:42:18Z")
I don’t think the public’s going to lose interest in reality shows for a long, long time. I would hope–which I know isn’t really prognosticating as such–that the quality of shows like The Amazing Race might have a positive effect on the production of well-engineered and entertaining programs that aren’t about eating disgusting things or parading around in one’s skimpy swimwear, but the more low-culture part of me does enjoy things like Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/5 "2004-10-20T16:47:30Z")
Animation will play a large role. I forsee a whole host of CGI programs down the pike the moment it becomes a little cheaper to produce. ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/6 "2004-10-20T17:16:01Z")
I’ll start watching network television again when they bring back _Westerns_! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/7 "2004-10-20T17:19:37Z")
Documentaries and serious debates. No, wait, that’s a fantasy. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/8 "2004-10-20T17:23:47Z")
> [@TwoTrouts](#): > > I’ll start watching network television again when they bring back _Westerns_! Or Sci-Fi westerns! Where have you gone, Brisco County Jr? Hmmm, what about fights to the death? At some point people dying is going to come back into vogue. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/9 "2004-10-20T18:03:19Z")
I think reality programming is here to stay. It’s relatively inexpensive and it can be more unpredictable than anything scripted. I wonder if the vote-based shows like American Idol will ever impact a drama. Sort of a “choose your own adventure” take on the drama. “If you’d like Jim to propose to Ellen, dial 888-999-0000. If you’d like Jim to ditch Ellen and join the Cirque du Soleil, dial 888-999-0001.” ---
**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/10 "2004-10-20T18:28:12Z")
Reality TV may be here to stay, but I doubt it’s going to reach the level of every other show being “reality-based” for a while. New dramas seem to be a big hit, especially Lost and Desperate Housewives, and the return on investment on reality shows has gone downhill. Personally, I’d like to see more shows that make me laugh, but sitcoms need a tremendous overhaul before you get me watching them again. These days, comedic situations are more apt to make me cringe than laugh. Quite frankly, Monk makes me laugh more than most shows. Myself, I would love what I call “quirky” dramas become a substantial genre (like Monk, Desperate Housewives, or the shortlived Wonderfalls… I might even call Scrubs one too), but the “hit-or-fail” mentality of today’s business culture makes it very diffucilty for the quirks to find their fanbase. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/11 "2004-10-20T18:40:25Z")
Know what I predict for the “next wave” of TV shows? Action. That’s my gut instinct: TV shows are gonna swing by the half-assed death-defying stuff of Fear Factor and REALLY go into some badassery. The sort of action popularized by Tarantino movies - crazy, elaborate, exaggerated action that doesn’t rely on cliches (like leaping through a doorway John Woo style). The popular shows right now have some pretty realistic action (like The Shield, Sopranos, The Wire, West Wing, 24), relatively. I anticipate a trend towards REALLY mind-blowing stunts and battle scenes. I betcha that someone will try to do a Giant Robots TV show, licensing Battletech (or making up their own, a la Robot Jox). ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/12 "2004-10-20T19:44:09Z")
I don’t know what the next wave will be but I do know one thing I wish it would be – the revival of the sci-fi anthology, i.e. The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. The originals are still great after forty years and so’re most of the remakes that were made back in the nineties by Showtime. Great TV. And no westerns. I \*\*\*HATE \*\* \* westerns. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/13 "2004-10-20T20:22:28Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Hmmm, what about fights to the death? At some point people dying is going to come back into vogue. You mean like that “Championship Gunfighting” concept? I’d watch that. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/14 "2004-10-20T20:39:11Z")
Yep. Gladiatorial combat. It’s only a matter of time. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/15 "2004-10-20T20:45:41Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I expect to see two or three politically-centered dramas a la _The West Wing_. Why this hasn’t already happened, I have no idea. I expected there to have been at least an attempt at cloning this show. There was at least one attempt, though it didn’t last long. [Mister Sterling](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-9289/) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/16 "2004-10-20T22:55:00Z")
Reality TV has already passed its peak, I think. Reality shows will remain a permanent part of the primetime lineup, of course, but we’re getting ready for the next big thing. I have two thoughts: 1. Hour long comedy/drama hybrids. Monk is a huge hit. Ally McBeal was a big hit before it imploded. People are tired of the sitcom format, but they love comedy. And as **Skott** said, it takes a while for people to catch on to anything _too_ odd, so comedic versions of standard hour-long drama formats are a natural next step. 2. Limited-run series. These would be longer than mini-series, but would run for a finite amount of time. The first 24 was an example. There is a lot you can do if you know that you’re just going to do twelve episodes or something. You don’t have to come up with a situation that can sustain new plots for hundreds of episodes. But you have a lot more flexibility than in a 2-hour movie. It would probably be feasible to spend more per hour to make a limited run series than you could on a regular series, again allowing more flexibility in what you could do. Then when it’s all done, you can sell the series as a DVD. In some cases, you might be able to do additional runs of the same series, like they did with 24. Or not. Either way, I think it’s a format with great possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/17 "2004-10-21T00:45:48Z")
> [@Green Bean](#): > > 1. Limited-run series. These would be longer than mini-series, but would run for a finite amount of time. The first 24 was an example. There is a lot you can do if you know that you’re just going to do twelve episodes or something. You don’t have to come up with a situation that can sustain new plots for hundreds of episodes. But you have a lot more flexibility than in a 2-hour movie. It would probably be feasible to spend more per hour to make a limited run series than you could on a regular series, again allowing more flexibility in what you could do. Then when it’s all done, you can sell the series as a DVD. In some cases, you might be able to do additional runs of the same series, like they did with 24. Or not. Either way, I think it’s a format with great possibilities. Cable is already trying this appraoch to pretty good numbers and acclaim. For example Taken on Sci-Fi and The 4400 on USA. Both of which I have taped somewhere in my house but haven’t watched yet. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/18 "2004-10-21T01:04:40Z")
Aha! The 4400 was one of the ones that I was thinking of, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the name. Thanks. The increasing presence of limited-run series on cable stations is what gave me the thought. Unfortunately, most of the series haven’t lived up to their hype. The 4400 is a perfect example. It was a great idea, but the execution sucked. Perhaps if it were done with the backing of network dollars, the execution would have been better. Like the comedy/drama hybrids, the limited-run series has had enough success that the network brass would probably be willing to try it, but it’s still a largely unexplored format. Lots of opportunities there, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/19 "2004-10-21T01:36:35Z")
I just want to clarify that I don’t think reality shows are going to disappear entirely, but they’re not going to be saturating the airwaves forever. Eventually, enough people will get sick of them and stop watching, and other formats will rise to prominence. I agree that sitcoms probably won’t be back in any significant numbers. Even the Simpsons has run its course, IMHO, and is surviving only because of accumulated good will. Frankly, I’m sick of Law and Order, CSI, and their offspring. Not as much as I’m sick of reality shows, but still: Can we please have a few less cops acting like jerks and using magical all-powerful computers to obtain evidence in violation of all known physical and technological limitations? I agree that fully CGI shows are coming soon. We’ll probably see one in primetime within a few years. This will lend itself to such genres as action, sci-fi, and other types of shows that can be difficult or expensive to film with real people. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237/20 "2004-10-21T01:56:29Z")
One good, new show of a new genre or type, followed quickly by scores of crappy knockoffs and copycats. It’d be nice if prime-time, broadcast network animation would make a comeback. You could probably do a lot with anime drama or sci-fi. (Well, at least we’ve got cable networks doing it, now. It’ll have to do.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prognosticate-what-will-replace-reality-shows/270237.md?page=2)