Back in the early 00’s I think it was we had the heyday of the reality TV show. The premise was simple enough. Throw out the script, bring in non-actors and put them in a situation and film what they do. Not an original concept but fresh enough for American and then worldwide audiences to be captivated.
Here at last, or so went the conventional thinking, was unfiltered real drama. No proscribed happy endings, no cliché lines, no predictable results. Things would happen as they would and be delivered unapologetically to an audience that could either take it or leave it, and take it they did.
Network execs were overjoyed. Not only were the shows a huge hit but they didn’t have to pay writers, actors, or directors to film this stuff. A shoestring budget with a golden return.
The first show of the trend centered around filming people out in the wild but soon there were imitators peeking into the lives of people in a house or traveling around the world or trying to find true love.
This then morphed into reality competitions trying to find singers or actors or models and filming the real lives of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances (dangerous jobs, unconventional lifestyles, extremely rich). This programming vein seemed to be endless.
However some disturbing incidents took place. Some episodes seemed to be filming the interpersonal conflicts that arose here and there and while that might happen normally some viewers started noting how the cameras always seemed to be in the right spot at the right time to capture those moments.
What’s more sometimes some of the “stars” of the shows left for various reasons and would decry the show online as “made up” or “staged”
The talent competitions seemed to be running on empty as well. Some clearly untalented people were winning competitions and really not living up to their potential.
This programming trend is running towards the end of its course. A few die-hard shows still continue on more than a decade later but less and less new shows are coming in. The writer, the producer, and the director (specially the writer) are coming to be appreciated again and more conventional shows are claiming the top rating slots.
I’ve pretty much switched off my set in the last couple of years and have missed most of this. I felt for a long time that the networks have pretty much tried to engage the lowest common denominator and have created low brow entertainment for the masses.
These reality shows are the ultimate expression of that. They really don’t provide any insight or challenge a thinking person at all. They are merely amusements for the brain to kill off an hour or two.
I hope that as these shows die off that we can reverse the trend and that with the last decade or so that new writers will be able to create and produce content that will once again turn television into a medium that will challenge as well as entertain.
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