Real or Imagined: What are You Watching on TV?

By Sally Raskoff

Given the current writer’s strike in the entertainment industry, our television viewing habits may have to change. While late night and scripted shows are in early re-runs, “unscripted” shows are sure to vie for our attention. Reality shows are sold to us as unscripted quasi-documentaries or as competitions rife with drama (although they do employ writers). In any case, these shows have multiplied dramatically in recent years because they are inexpensive to produce and profitable. 

Are you already a frequent viewer of reality shows? Do you have your favorite? Do you prefer the competitions and drama of Survivor or Road Rules? How about American Idol or Rock Star? Cowboy U or Coyote Ugly? The Bachelor, Beauty and the Geek, or A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila? Extreme Makeover or Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style? The Apprentice, Miami Ink, Iron Chef, or Project Runway? The Real World or Amish in the City? The Simple Life, Tommy Lee Goes to College, or the Two Coreys? Dancing with the Stars or So You Think You Can Dance? Kid Nation? 

Each of these shows offers a slightly different take on the reality formula: collect a group of people to take on tasks that seem formidable and watch to see who annoys you the most, who you want to prevail, and who actually wins or stays the course. 

Shows like Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood, the latest in the Anna Nicole Smith and Osbournes tradition, don’t have winners or a specific competition as they are based on witnessing the life of the subjects. However, competitive elements may intervene as family members vie for attention or they realize better ratings come from upping their “odd” quotient. 

Celebrity reality shows have gained such popularity that a new word has emerged: celebreality. Language does change in response to how cultures accept or reject ideas and concepts about which people communicate. We’ll have to wait a few years to see if this word makes it into the dictionary. If it does, that would signal the cultural acceptance and lasting appeal of watching celebrities ostensibly live their lives in front of the cameras. 

Most people are aware that reality shows, whether competitions or quasi-documentaries, really do not depict reality. The first show on television that documented family life was on PBS in the 1970s, called An American Family. However, that show has more in common with the documentary genre than what we now think of as reality TV. 

Game shows are similar to reality shows in that they are unscripted and relatively cheap to produce, but there are some important differences A competition on a game show typically last only an episode and do not intend to depict any type of reality outside the studio in which it is filmed. Some competitive reality shows (such as The Bachelor) are similar to game shows but the competition spans the entire season and the drama of the experience is emphasized over the game. 

The difference between reality shows today and those in the past has to do with the degree of reality that is presented and assumed. Contestants on the Dating Game and the Newlywed Game (popular shows in the 1960’s) never left the studio. The shows were limited to asking and/or answering questions, often about sex. These dating game shows are vastly different from current dating reality shows. The current shows encourage obvious sexual references and activities, offer a range of racial and ethnic pairings and do not restrict their participants to those who appear heterosexual. 

In addition, on the current shows participants tend to date many different people at one time whereas on the Dating Game the bachelor or bachelorette could not date all three of those vying to be chosen. I welcome the diversity of participants in the newer shows, as it is a step towards living up to many of our country’s ideals, not the least of which is equality for all. Depicting those who are not heterosexual, white, protestant, or middle class, has the potential to normalize those formerly subordinate or deviant groups of people. This can happen if they are presented, not as foils or best buddies, but as people equivalent to those who fit the dominant status model. 

Reality shows are similar to the more traditional soap operas that have long dominated day time TV. The differences rest not only with the “actors” but to whom the show is marketed: reality shows are aimed at the younger generations while soap operas target women who are home during the day. With the advent of Tivo and DVD recorders, not to mention changes in our economy and labor practices, a more diverse audience may be watching daytime soaps, however, one look at the advertising between show breaks tells you quickly who they define as their audience.

Take a closer look at the television shows that you watch: do they reinforce or challenge our society’s norms? To whom is the show marketed? Does the advertising that is paired with your show illustrate any notions the network, station, or producers have about their audience? If you do not watch television, what is your reaction to this discussion?

Comments

[Kimberly King]

I hate reality tv. I pray it would just die out. You know like disco or high top fades. The acting is horrible and theres nothing entertaining about it.

[Karen Lane]

Reality shows today push everything to its limit and it gets pushed further everyday. Todays reality shows are nothing like back in the day. You would not see sexual content or hear provocative terms. Sometimes its better to let people think than let them know everything.

[Jewell Johnson]

Today on television things are not as sencored as censored as it was in the past. Television exibit behavoirs that we can not do in real life. They break laws and get away with it and have sex but absolutely no consequences. They do things that are clearly out of the norm i think we enjoy it because we know we can not do it, and that is probably why we enjoy it so much. ALthough we watch I do not think it effect our judgement.

[AMclester]

Today's t.v. shows have less censorship then back in the days when what they showed on t.v. mattered to the audience. Today its about image

[mHunter]

Reality shows are getting more and more dramtic and less real. They challenge the norms often. They also reinforce them to. As far as I can see they have to keep taking it futher and futher. Otherwise its just boring. I enjoy some of them but everyone doesn't need a reality show.

[aTHOMAS]

Reality t.v. has changed a lot in a short time. I couldn't stop watching a few years ago when they became really popular. Now it seems everyone has one and they keep getting more and more senseless. They do shake up norms a lot because people are looking at each others lives and judging their own

[Abell4570]

In the past, the reality shows were limited to a certain group; white, protestant, heterosexual people. Today they have a wide range of people on reality shows and game shows. I think that some reality shows reinforce norms but others are very eccentric and break norms constantly.

[bionca murray]

Shows from the past to now haved changed so much thats it rediculous, i mean im entertained because of the drama but i can't say if i'll like for my son to watch half of the cartoons that are made now of days. Shows back in the day actually had a positive message in them but now of days teenagers are having kids and just doing the complete oposite of what o grew up watching.

[cecile]

TV shows in the past were more like documentaries and had a stronger degree of reality. Also, there was a big part into ethic values and moral. For example, sex is more and more daring in front of the cameras than in the past. More nudity, vulgar language and violence challenge social norm in TV reality shows today. But I think It also reflect the level of adaptation to revolutionary changes in which our society is involved everyday. Personally, I don`t watch TV much. So, whatever is trash or not for the average, I don`t really appreciate. But I do appreciate wither a show is instructive for me, or my younger sister... or not!! lol.

[jliner]

todays t.v. is completely different than the past because we know have nudity, viloence, crime, cussing, and sex that peole of all ages could get into. back then there was not any of that.

[BHISER]

I STILL LIKE MANY OF THE OLDER SHOWS BECAUSE THEY'RE KID FRIENDLY. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE HAD TO STOP MY SON FROM WATCHING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS JUST A CARTOON. CARTOONS NOW DAYS EVEN HAVE PROFANITY AND SEXUAL CONTENT- I FEEL THAT THE IS IS PARTLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH TODAYS YOUTH. EVERYONE IS SO DESENSITIZED TO THE POINT THAT WE DON'T THINK ANYTHING OF ALL THE VIOLENCE WE SEE EACH DAY...KIDS THINK THAT VIOLENCE IS A PART OF LIFE AND I DON'T THINK THEY FULLY UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCE OF SHOOTING SOMEONE.

[Liz Wills]

I think that it is insane how older reality shows and shows nowadays differ! They used to have some class, but now that is completley out of the question for most reality shows today like Jersy Shore, or many of the reality shows that come on MTV. I have to admit they are intertaining but they do seem to be getting pretty bad with the content shown. It's like they have to do the craziest, trashiest, things to get an audiences attention.... It makes me wonder how bad these tv shows are going to be when my children are my age watching this junk, and how it will influence their lives.

[Dayton Realtor]

Love reality TV!

[George Moore]

I enjoy watching Tv at late night.