why are reality shows still popular?

dascoyne said:
There's also another factor to consider. Reality shows are ridiculously cheap to make. Almost no creative energy - even when scripted.
A reality show doesn't have to be that popular to remain viable.
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Bryancd said:
This. They can throw these things together fast and cheap and so it's a volume model. If one out of every 5 finds an audience it's a win. And although many are total crap, some can be pretty compelling. My favorite one right now is Naked and Afraid. Sure the people are not likely to perish and the show provides enough to keep the episode moving, but these people really SUFFER, it's like what Survivor was the first few seasons where people wasted away from lack of food.
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astroboy said:
I also consider reality TV to be "the great flood" of tv.

It came along and cleaned the slate for networks.

As bad as reality TV is, it came along at the same time that tv also got REALLY good. We now have episodic masterpieces like mad men and breaking bad. We have netflix making gritty superhero shows that would have never happened in the days before reality tv

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To piggy-back on this, reality TV is, in my opinion, the profit-engine that allows the higher prestige, better-made television shows to be made at all. We live in the era of "peak TV" where there is -- let's be clear -- a TON of great television out there. The thing is, hour-long scripted dramas and half-hour single-camera comedies require a good bit of cash to produce. For the genres that I tend to like, they also require a fair bit of f/x and CGI, so that adds even further to their expense.

Yet, in the era of "peak TV," not all of them have amazing ratings, partially because the audience is so diffuse. So how do they survive? Well, you hit on a reality show or a contest show or whathaveyou. Something that makes money, which then allows you to take that money and spend it on a good show.

I agree that reality TV sucks in and of itself. I lament the fall of the networks that used to be oriented around knowledge (e.g. TLC, Discovery, The History Channel) which have now basically become nothing but reality TV platforms for crap I don't care about at all and which has next to nothing to do with their brand. But reality TV in general helps drive profits at studios, which allows for better shows to be run.
 
As said before, reality shows are ridiculously inexpensive to produce. The crew is minimal, even scripting them just means you add a couple of 'writers' to the staff and an extra couple of editors. Plus the format appeals to a lot of people just because they want to see 'regular' or celeb people acting out, as if that makes their own personal behavior more acceptable when they act out and such things.

The truth is, however, a few specific reality shows gained a bit of popularity and then suddenly the market is flooded which means more people watch because it's the only thing on sometimes. Which spirals into them making more. It's the same trend as ever, just a different format of entertainment. "Do we watch more reality shows because there are more to watch or are there more to watch because we watch more of them?"
 
When they were on, I used to watch American Choppers and Sons of Guns, because I love to see art, good craftsmanship and learn a bit of history. But do spare me drama and explosions. I also liked Call of the Wildman.
But I think that the quality of shows in that category has gone down lately, And there's nothing interesting about Ice-Road Hand-Fishing.

Then there is the category of "reality" shows that place trashy good-looking youngsters in a warm locale with lots of booze and encouragement.
I can understand why that would be popular to watch, partly because it is almost soft-core porn at times and partly because some people enjoy watching people that they can feel superior to. (People used to watch Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer's talk shows for the same reason ...).
 
It's unfortunate that even shows that start off great turn into drama. I'm looking at you, Bar Rescue. The first season was great, all about the 'science' of the bar and less focused on the drama and personalities of the people involved. This season now is all about the drama. I wanna hear more about the bar industry and the WHY of it like first season delved into.
 
Laspector said:
Personally, I would ask this same question about video games. How someone can just sit in a chair and play a video game for hours and hours and hours on end is beyond me. Get off your lazy butt and go outside and actually do something!!
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I play RPGs. So I'm playing an interactive book telling a story. And honestly, that's what saves are for. I'll play a game for a couple of hours at a time. Gimme a long book? Don't expect to see me for a while.




Oh, and I forgot couple more "reality" shows I like: Chopped and other "take something you wouldn't normally cook with and figure it out" shows, and that one on history where they make swords and other blades. Saw a marathon of that, and it was pretty cool to watch.
 
I don't watch them but a friend does so I have seen a few,for the most part I remind people that if you followed the average person around for a day with a camera you'd be bored right out of your mind so they have to script some drama in.

I think people watch them the same reason they stop and gawk at an accident,it's human nature.

The only "reality" TV show that worked in my opinion was the original one-cops,you follow the average cop around in a large city and trust me stuff will happen.
 
I think even before COPS there was The Real World on MTV. I would consider that the first real reality show. Although actually it wasn't. Wasn't there some tv show in the early 70s that showed the real life of some family? Can't remember the name of it, but obviously it didn't hit.

But Survivor is what really started the craze. I do love me some Survivor, I never miss it, but I mostly hate what it spawned.

And yeah, COPS was great. One episode in the late 80s actually took place in my apartment complex in Memphis, TN. They walked by my car--MY CAR WAS ON TV!!!!:lol
 
I think some reality are shows are wonderful such as Wheeler Dealers or American Pickers. Why? ZERO DRAMA and we actually learn something! The exaggerated drama is pointless and mind numbing... and I hope people are beginning to turn away. OH NO... someone didn't order a part on time... two employees get on each others nerves... UGH... I instantly grab the remote and "switch"
 
The one reality show I would expect that I would really get into--Face Off--I gave up on after about two seasons. That show got boring really fast. I was only fast forwarding to the reveals by then. The first 45 minutes of the show is a waste of time.
 
Back when I had cable, my wife and I really enjoyed watching Restaurant Impossible, it was always great to see how they would transform what are, often, old and worn down looking restaurants into something fresh and new. Sadly, by the time we dropped basic cable for over the air only the show had started focusing more on family drama with Chef Robert playing counselor as much as chef. I also enjoyed Pawn Stars, mostly for the history of an item more than anything, and I also really liked American Pickers along with the storage shed show on Spike. Those last two, esp. the storage shed one, really made we want to go to one of these auctions and hang out with the winner of one just to see what they got, that and maybe bid on one myself except that neither my wife or I had any idea of how we would unload anything or even who to ask about the value of anything we found in the shed.
 
Laspector said:
...But Survivor is what really started the craze. I do love me some Survivor, I never miss it, but I mostly hate what it spawned...
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Any show that has people competing to win a prize is not reality TV it's a game show.

Mythbusters was reality TV. The actual history related shows that History, Discovery, TLC etc. used to do were all reality TV.
 
I like Face Off because theres not really any drama. Everyone usually helps each other out even if they are competing against each other. Plus its really fun to see how creative some of them can be. But pretty much any other show I just can't watch.
 
mistymills said:
It's unfortunate that even shows that start off great turn into drama. I'm looking at you, Bar Rescue. The first season was great, all about the 'science' of the bar and less focused on the drama and personalities of the people involved. This season now is all about the drama. I wanna hear more about the bar industry and the WHY of it like first season delved into.
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The UK version of Kitchen Nightmares started off very well. The technical aspects of running successful restaurants that made each episode fascinating. The show eventually turned the corner when the focus started to change to inner bickering and how Gordon Ramsay inevitably, not only "saves" the restaurant, but saves the relationship between the owners/staff - especially if the place is run by a married couple/family. Dripping with treacle. In the worst episodes there's almost no screen time spent on the business itself and the whole thing is about fixing trust issues with the staff and owners. I don't want to see people doing ridiculous morale-building exercises or Ramsay acting as a behavioral therapist to a crying owner who has lost his confidence.
 
dascoyne said:
The UK version of Kitchen Nightmares started off very well. The technical aspects of running successful restaurants that made each episode fascinating. The show eventually turned the corner when the focus started to change to inner bickering and how Gordon Ramsay inevitably, not only "saves" the restaurant, but saves the relationship between the owners/staff - especially if the place is run by a married couple/family. Dripping with treacle. In the worst episodes there's almost no screen time spent on the business itself and the whole thing is about fixing trust issues with the staff and owners. I don't want to see people doing ridiculous morale-building exercises or Ramsay acting as a behavioral therapist to a crying owner who has lost his confidence.
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That's exactly what started happening to Restaurant Impossible as well, more and more focus on personal issues between owners and/or their families with Robert Irvine playing family therapist. I enjoyed the show for the technical aspects, what goes into the running of a successful restaurant. That and seeing what the design team could do with just 2 days (1.5 really) and $10,000.
 
Riceball said:
That's exactly what started happening to Restaurant Impossible as well, more and more focus on personal issues between owners and/or their families with Robert Irvine playing family therapist. I enjoyed the show for the technical aspects, what goes into the running of a successful restaurant. That and seeing what the design team could do with just 2 days (1.5 really) and $10,000.
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You can go back to the first seasons of American Chopper too, where the focus was on building bikes, not at screaming at each other. As soon as that started, I stopped watching. I didn't care about the family drama, I cared about the cool motorcycles.
 
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