A Very Short History of Reality TV

[WilliamPitt]

Remember, friends: the existence of so many very very very very stupid "reality TV" shows - Honey Boo-Boo leaps nimbly to mind - is due to the fact that TV writers wanted to get paid what they deserved, but producers and network execs weren't down with that...so they deployed no-writers-needed "reality TV" as a fuck-you to the writers. In fact, they did it twice: the 1988 writer's strike gave us "Cops," among other things, so Fox could plug the holes in its programming.

And so here we are (in the words of TweetOfGod), in a national discussion about a guy who tricks ducks into thinking he wants to fuck them comparing homosexuality to bestiality.

Moral: pay the writers.

http://www.salon.com/2011/04/26/10_year_time_capsule_writers_strike/

[NightWatcher]

1. What about the slouching towards the lowest common denominator?

It's all come down to fart jokes and nose picking.

[Common Sense Party]

2. Except that these "reality" shows are scripted.

Some loosely, some very carefully.

There's nothing REAL about them.

They all employ writers.

[liberal N proud]

3. I have been waiting for reality TV to die since it became popular

I will not patronize the networks in their efforts to dumb down America while cutting their writers out of the budgets.

[Wounded Bear]

4. I'm with you...can't watch it...nt

[onyourleft]

9. As have I.

I cannot, and will not, watch any of those shows.

[NoOneMan]

5. Most everything written sucks horribly

And horribly is an understatement.

I'm not suggesting reality is good or better, but maybe different in a field of utter crap.

There is maybe 1 or two sitcoms on at any given time worth any value (Modern Family is about the best now). Primetime is miserable, which is why a well written and produced series like Breaking Bad had such a huge impact. All the Law and Order crap or autopsy porn makes me want to take a drill to my temple. I seriously will puke if I have to hear 1 more regurgitated nerd joke or sex joke in the two biggest sitcoms the masses slurp up.

Its just crap.

[WilliamPitt]

6. The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad

AMC has a stable of fine writers.

...and then there's the *ahem* "Learning" Channel.

[NoOneMan]

10. Walking Dead is meh

Take away the Zombies (only reason I watch) and I think its pretty bland. Most of the actors aren't all that multi-dimensional. Yeah, its better than the other Primetime crap but its no Breaking Bad.

[WilliamPitt]

11. HERESY WHAAAARGARBLE!!1!11!elevens!!111!!

The zombies, in my opinion, are secondary. The interplay between ordinary people in an extraordinary situation is, I think, very well crafted.

[Marrah_G]

13. I think the Walking Dead is great

I watch it for the story and characters, the zombies have become almost secondary. I suppose it's all just a matter of individual taste.

[HappyMe]

7. I thought that it started with the 'The Real World' on MTV.

That was kind of cool and interesting at first. It turned into People That Should Go to Rehab pretty quick.

[SoCalDem]

8. The Loud Family were the first (PBS)

The honesty of that show hurt the family, and probably led to the fakery we have today.. We do not watch any of those shows because they are obviously staged & phony..

They are cheap though, and that's what the executives see

[Penicilino]

12. It's not reality

No one acts spontaneously while knowing millions of people are watching.

And no producer will allow boring stuff to be aired, so they script the show by telling actors and actresses what to do.