Looks like reality TV is about to take a dive.

[afroloq]

check this article:

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/tvs-reality-recession--78

[Marc Lombardi]

Meh. MTV and VH1 and Fox, to an extent, will keep them coming with such frequency that we'll still have plenty to avoid.

[The Crushtacean]

One can only hope. That shit makes the entire race look bad.

[Ray G.]

Yeah, people are being a bit more choosy about which reality TV shows they pick up now, but there's still this crop of longtime hits that dominate everything but the procedurals.

Although really, TV seems to be in trouble in general.

[Jonathan Callan]

Netflix Insta-View will kill the cable model. Give it a decade or so.

[RickLM]

I didn't realize how many reality shows were being produced until I got cable this year. The sheer volume is stunning. If they go away, some networks will have nothing to show.

[Foolish Mortal]

There will be plenty of reality shows in the future. They're cheap to produce and they can pump them out faster than an hour long drama.

[bartleby]

Reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated.

[Ray G.]

Reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated.

I remember right after 9/11, people said reality TV was "done" because "Who's going to want to watch a show called 'Survivor' right now? Reality is harsh enough! Survivor 4 will never happen."

[costello]

God I hate Sharon Osborn.

[MabusRex]

Reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated.

Oooo. A thread crossover. Nice.

And yes. Many of these and more need to be killed with fire.

[Foolish Mortal]

I remember right after 9/11, people said reality TV was "done" because "Who's going to want to watch a show called 'Survivor' right now? Reality is harsh enough! Survivor 4 will never happen."
Basically people have gotten tired of the "old guard" reality shows. Something else will come along to grab their interest just like American Idol did.

[MabusRex]

Basically people have gotten tired of the "old guard" reality shows. Something else will come along to grab their interest just like American Idol did.

Dude, I'm calling it.
Running Man.
2010.

[Ray G.]

Basically people have gotten tired of the "old guard" reality shows. Something else will come along to grab their interest just like American Idol did.

The thing is, though, the real "old guard" shows like Survivor, American Idol, the Amazing Race, The Biggest Loser, and the Bachelor series are all continuously successful. Where they run into problems is when they try to duplicate/rip-off that success.

People only have so much time in their day, and we're seeing them become more choosy about their reality TV watching. They have their favorites, and they stick with them.

Although it's worth mentioning that almost all the shows on that list are actually game shows, not reality shows. :nerd:

[afroloq]

Dude, I'm calling it.
Running Man.
2010.

I was just thinking this same thing....and to think that movie as vicious as it was, was the predecessor to modern day reality TV

[hotdogdownahallway]

I would be really happy if all reality shows disappeared. Not going to happen.

Aren't reality shows much cheaper to produce than regular TV shows? They don't have to pay for actors and other costs.

[WinterRose]

I don't really count on it all that much. I'm certain I haven't been THAT good. Santa wouldn't bring me a moritorium on the things. That said, I can see how there'd be something of a pulling back from reality in our entertainment just now. Reality isn't really what people are looking for. With reality what it is at the moment, I figure folks are looking for a bit more escapism just now.

I have the idea these things are kinda cyclic. You'll have some that weather the lean times and others which will pretty much fall by the wayside. I seem to remember a boom when I was a little kid in reality documentary shows like 'That's Incredible!' or 'Real People' or 'Those Amazing Animals'. Or even years before that with stuff like Candid Camera. Or years after with Bloopers and Practical Jokes.

I'd be entirely cool with Reality TV's tide going out for a while. Maybe the void filled with some better scripted content and the rise of another gen of actors. And with Star Wars on the horizon, the timing might be right for another Sci Fi boom in the absence of yet another of The World's Worst Animal Attacks During Rush Hour specials. Or 'Living Without My Medication' or something similarly torturous.

[rychehitman]

What I'd like to see is some blending of shows....

I mean, c'mon...who WOULDN'T watch this:

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/rychehitman2/little-people-big-world3.jpg

[Bill Nolan]

Most of those listed are straight-up game shows. There have always been game shows. There will always be game shows. Whatever...

[Mylazycat]

Like any genre, there's quality and there's crap. Usually the Quality survives.

[SMACK!]

Netflix Insta-View will kill the cable model. Give it a decade or so.
But I want it NOW!

[DaveCummings]

God I hate Sharon Osborn.


I hated her since their first reality show...which is a shame because when I met her when I was backstage at Ozzfest '99, she was really nice.

[PatrickA]

I thought there was a new show about people trying to make the US diving team and that this thread was just afrolog being clever.

[Ryan Elliott]

Kill them all. Please.


And then spit on the grave.

[Mylazycat]

Just think, the way some people who enjoy TV view and dispise reality TV are the same way some people who enjoy reading see comics.

[Greenville 90210]

Just think, the way some people who enjoy TV view and dispise reality TV are the same way some people who enjoy reading see comics.

So?

[Mylazycat]

So?

Just saying. I find it interesting. Why not just let people enjoy what they enjoy?

[Greenville 90210]

Just saying. I find it interesting. Why not just let people enjoy what they enjoy?

I'm not saying that all reality shows should go away but the more reality shows that are produced the less written comedy and dramas make it to the airwaves.

People that hate comics don't have to worry about them pushing novels out of bookstores.

[Mylazycat]

I'm not saying that all reality shows should go away but the more reality shows that are produced the less written comedy and dramas make it to the airwaves.

People that hate comics don't have to worry about them pushing novels out of bookstores.

This is true.

To be fair, I love good dramas and comedies, too. I just think as a genre it's not going away, this reality TV. It's merely a variation of game shows, to begin with. Survivor came on right after Who Wants To Be A Millionare was at it's peak, it was just another form of giving away a million dollars in a creative manner. The best, and most popular, reality shows, Survivor, Amazing Race, Big Brother and American Idol, have a prize at the end. Those are the ones I enjoy. The ones that merely show people doing whatever odd things they do or are dating shows (something that also have been around for decades, as well) not so much.