I read my share of non-fiction (history, biography, social commentary, humor, memoirs, etc.) and have been known to see documentary films in movie theaters — just because the subject is compelling. BUT FICTION ROCKS! Genre fiction, literary fiction, classic & contemporary fiction, short stories, novellas and novels are the books I seek out most often. That’s why it’s not a surprise that I prefer scripted dramas (detective shows in particular) when it comes to TV and why I find TV schedules chock full of “reality” TV mystifying.
Do I watch any “reality” programming? Yes, I watch cooking shows. I even enjoy the cooking contest style shows — as long as they don’t delve into the chef’s back story dramas instead of concentrating on food preparation. (I’ve picked up some professional cooking techniques and cool recipe ideas from TV chefs.)
Home with a cold on a rainy afternoon, I found myself doing the channel flip. I’d never heard of more than half the shows and over and over the premise of each one, as described in promos and teasers, left me wondering how they ever got on the air. I know that reality TV is cheaper to produce and that some kind of dramatic narrative (conflict, tension, story arcs, etc.) can be created in the editing phase of show production, but these narratives are not the kind of stories you’ll find in scripted television — even poorly written scripted TV.
So why are they so popular? Is it because there’s a weird frisson of interest because these shows are about real people? Maybe. I’m not sure. I just can’t figure out why shows about abandoned storage lockers, the families of mobsters, the private lives of semi-celebrities (or former celebrities) and the privileged “housewives” of various cities are so popular. Would you volunteer for “Survivor” or try your luck in “The Shark Tank” or live with hostile strangers on “Big Brother”???
More to the point, is there anything a fiction writer like me can glean from these doctored stories from real life? Let me know. I’m curious. Maybe not curious enough to sit through an episode of “Duck Dynasty” so please somebody tell me what I’m missing. Is there something there that I should know or understand?
A&E recently dropped Longmire, an AWESOME crime drama, and is replacing it with a reality show featuring Jenny McCarthy. Talk about mystified…
I guess it all comes down to money and a Jenny McCarthy show is CHEAP!
Still, it is mystifying and perturbing and completely disappointing when cheesy reality shows replace scripted dramas and comedies with real plots, characters, story arcs and, sometimes, even social relevance.
I tend to see adverts for these shows rather than the shows themselves and reality TV seems a big let down to me.Crude interaction between second rate TV personalities is not entertainment. The only show I have caught and sat through waiting for something else was one where you buy abandoned storage facilities.
I really dislike some of the characters on them, even more so if I think of them as like that in real life. Nasty and aggressive types but I can see why people would watch in the hopes of seeing someone unearth a real treasure in one. That show at least has a point.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
It’s a treasure hunt scenario without the creative characters a scripted version would provide.
Oh, well…. I just watch cooking shows.
I’m with you most of the time. My son in law likes to watch the commercial fishing shows. We have been watching the tuna series lately. Cool stuff but more akin to the cooking and travel shows than the hollywood wives crap.