Criticism of reality television

Overview

Reality television is a popular form of broadcast entertainment that purportedly focuses on real-life people and situations. Although it has a long history that can be traced back as far as the mid-twentieth century, reality television first gained recognition as a unique genre in the 1990s with the debut of pioneering shows like MTV’s The Real World. The popularity of reality television subsequently reached new heights with the introduction of megahits like Survivor and American Idol in the 2000s. Since that time, reality shows of various kinds have remained a lasting staple on television networks across America and around the world. As reality television grew into a dominant entertainment and social phenomenon, it was increasingly subjected to intense scrutiny and criticism. Initially, much of that criticism revolved around production methods and the question of the authenticity of reality television. Over time, however, critics started to raise serious concerns about the broader cultural impact of reality television and its potential sociological effects. In any event, as the debate over reality television continues, the genre remains as popular as ever among viewing audiences worldwide.

Reality television is a distinct genre of television entertainment. It is a form of unscripted television that usually does not rely on actors or writers. Reality television is meant to focus on real people and real events and situations. In most cases, reality television shows are helmed by a host or narrator who helps to convey the story or lead the show’s proceedings. Behind the scenes, reality television shows are typically run by the producers and editors who put them together. Most modern reality television contains an element of competition, for example participants may vote one another off shows, or judges and audiences may select who remains in a competition.

The defining element of a reality television show is how it is shot. Shooting a scripted show means filming fully planned scenes in a carefully orchestrated manner usually arranged well before the performance begins, but shooting reality television means recording events as they happen. Beyond that, much of the work of crafting a reality television show is up to segment producers and story editors who forge a narrative out of the footage they have at their disposal. While some reality television shows are preplanned and even storyboarded to varying extents beforehand, the driving force of reality television is the idea that it is an unscripted depiction of real people and events – even when this is not strictly the case.

While the advent of the reality television show as it is known to modern viewers came in the 1990s and 2000s, the genre’s historic roots date back to the rise of television itself in the mid-twentieth century. One of the earliest antecedents of modern reality television was Queen for a Day, a program that originated in 1945. It featured a slate of female contestants facing personal hardships who competed to be crowned queen and receive a spate of prizes meant to help them cope with their troubles. Despite technically being a game show, Queen for a Day eventually came to be viewed as an early incarnation of reality television, as was the supermarket-inspired Cash and Carry show. Another important step in the early evolution of reality television was the 1948 debut of Candid Camera, a hidden camera comedy show that focused on unsuspecting people’s real reactions to various pranks and practical jokes. An international reality competition show, the Eurovision Song Contest, debuted in Switzerland in 1956 and is one of the longest-running shows in television history.

The first true reality show was An American Family. A twelve-episode series that originally aired on PBS in 1973, An American Family follows the everyday life of a real middle-class family from Santa Barbara, California. The stars of the show were Bill and Pat Loud and their five children. In an unexpected development that played out naturally during filming, An American Family ultimately documented the separation and divorce of the Loud parents. In addition, their son Lance Loud emerged as the first openly gay continuing character in television history and quickly became an LGBTQ+ icon.

After the success of An American Family, other reality shows began to appear. Debuting in 1979, NBC’s Real People highlighted ordinary people with unique jobs or hobbies. In the early 1980s, ABC found a hit in That’s Incredible, a show that featured a variety of segments on everyday people and events. Similar shows like CBS’s That’s My Line soon followed. In 1989, the fledgling FOX network launched COPS, a reality show that saw camera operators riding along with on-duty police officers and documenting arrests and other law enforcement activities.

The emergence of modern reality television began with the debut of MTV’s The Real World in 1992. The Real World was unlike any show that had ever been broadcast before. Producers assembled a cast of seven people from a pool of five hundred applicants and arranged for them to live together in a duplex in New York City’s Soho neighborhood. With cameras filming the participants’ daily lives, the series documented how these strangers got along with one another and captivated viewers with the allegedly real drama that ensued. Although critics were quick to pan the show, audiences praised The Real World for offering an unfiltered look at serious social issues like race, religion, sexuality, substance abuse, and AIDS. Multiple seasons of the show in New York and other locations aired through 2019.

The unprecedented success of The Real World ultimately gave birth to the modern reality television genre and set the stage for the deluge of reality shows that followed in the 2000s. One of the first hit reality shows of that era was Survivor. Debuting in 2000, Survivor is an American show based on a concept created for British television some years earlier. The show places a group of contestants on a remote island, divides them into tribes, and requires them to work together to survive their stay with little or no help from the crew. The casts are required to take on a variety of unique challenges. One contestant is voted off the island every week until only two remain. The sole surviving contestant wins a $1 million prize. The first season of Survivor was a hit that solidified the reality television genre and marked the beginning of a long line of reality shows on various networks.

Another of the first massive reality television hits was American Idol. Based on the British hit Pop Idol, the show is a singing competition ostensibly aimed at discovering the next big pop star. Viewers vote for their favorites among a group of contestants selected by a trio of celebrity judges that originally included Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul. American Idol, which debuted in 2002, proved to be widely popular and soon spawned an array of similar shows like The Voice, as well as broader talent competition shows such as America’s Got Talent and The X Factor.

With the rise of shows like Survivor and American Idol, the floodgates of reality television were officially flung open. A wide range of reality shows debuted over the following decades. Some, like Big Brother, followed in the footsteps of The Real World. Others, including Hell’s Kitchen and Master Chef, are competitions focused on food and cooking. Still others like The Simple Life and Keeping Up with the Kardashians focused on celebrities. The Bachelor and Love Island are among the many reality television shows that have focused on romance. Many shows, such as Deadliest Catch and Below Deck, highlight ordinary people with extraordinary jobs. Over time, reality television developed into one of the medium’s most popular and widely produced genres.

Further Insights

The reality television genre has been the subject of debate and criticism practically since the first modern reality shows began to air. Critics frequently deride the genre for a variety of reasons ranging from how it is produced to the cultural influence it has on society at large. Although our understanding of and opinions about reality television have evolved over time, legitimate questions about the genre’s value and effects continue to linger.

The Reality of Reality Television

One of the oldest and most persistent criticisms of reality television shows is that such shows often are not what they claim to be in that they do not depict reality. The entire reality show genre is built on the premise that it offers a window on real people in real situations. Almost as soon as the first modern reality television shows hit the airwaves, critics were quick to question their authenticity. In truth, many reality shows follow some sort of script or are fabricated to some extent to ensure that the final product is engaging enough to attract viewers, for example by giving participants a task to complete. It has also become a well-known fact that the producers of reality television shows often edit footage to heighten the drama of the proceedings and influence the audience’s perceptions of the participants. Critics argue that this invalidates the premise reality television.

Lazy Television

Another common criticism is that reality shows are a cheap, lazy form of television entertainment. Critics argue that most reality television shows focus on everyday people with little in the way of legitimate talent doing little of real value. Some critics also assert that television executives tend to favor reality television shows simply because they are less expensive to produce than scripted shows and inordinately popular with audiences. For many people who are not fans of the genre, reality television is simply throwaway entertainment with no real substance.

Appeals to the Worst

Among the most stinging criticisms of reality television is the argument that it appeals to the worst in the people who watch it. Many reality shows glorify crass and sometimes violent or abusive behavior, make stars of shallow and self-important people, and promote clearly dysfunctional personal, family, and romantic relationships. All of this is effectively intended to appeal to viewers’ basest interests and worst impulses. Critics frequently cite this as a serious problem with reality television shows.

Negative Effects

Building on the idea that reality television appeals to the worst in people, many critics go on to argue that the genre has negative effects on those who watch it and on society in general. Some of these critics include psychologists who believe that viewers who are regularly exposed to the different types of bad behavior seen on reality television shows are more likely to exhibit bad behavior themselves. Specifically, they say regular reality television show viewers may become increasingly self-absorbed, superficial, deceitful, cruel, belligerent, and more. Because reality television is broadly popular, these same problems also extend to society as a whole. Some critics suggest that society has generally become harsher, angrier, shallower, and more divided—at least in part—as a result of the pervasive influence of reality television.

Instant Celebrity

One specific criticism relating to how people are influenced by reality television shows is tied directly to the fact that ordinary people who appear on such shows often become overnight celebrities. While some reality shows focus on established celebrities, most are populated by individuals who were not previously famous for anything and may not even have any special talents through which they might have earned celebrity status. A significant number of reality television stars simply end up becoming famous for being famous, for example the cast of Jersey Shore, an MTV series that aired 2009 to 2012, or the Kardashian-Jenner family from the E! reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–21). Critics argue that witnessing the kind of unearned instant celebrity that many reality show stars enjoy may give viewers the wrong idea about what it takes to become famous and may encourage them to seek instant fame instead of putting effort into more practical and productive pursuits. In other words, if one can become a rich and famous celebrity just from being on a reality television show, there is no reason to study in school or strive to succeed in a normal job.

Reality at the Expense of Everything Else

For people who work in the television industry, there are also more practical reasons to be critical of reality shows. As reality television has become increasingly popular and the number of reality shows being produced grows, some industry professionals like actors and writers have raised concerns about the effects of reality television on their industry. These critics argue that the deluge of reality television shows means less of a focus on traditional scripted shows and, thus, less work for people who make such programming. This problem is arguably worsened by the fact that reality television shows are cheaper and easier to produce than scripted television—something that makes the former particularly attractive to the money-minded executives who run television networks and make programming decisions. More broadly, the overarching concern from this perspective is that as more airtime is committed to reality television, time slots for television programming that has greater artistic and/or intellectual value contracts.

Viewpoints

While critics certainly make some valid points about the negative aspects of reality television shows, it is important to note counterarguments. In response to criticism about reality television not depicting truth, for example, defenders of the genre might argue that the value of authenticity is determined by the audience’s interest. If the audience is sufficiently entertained by a show even if people and actions are not fully authentic, they say, the degree of authenticity does not ultimately matter. Similarly, while it is possible to view reality shows as lazy television, it could also be argued that the genre has at least some value because it offers an experience that is not possible with traditional television formats. As for the criticism that reality television shows appeal to viewers’ basest interests and have negative effects on the people who tune in, it is also possible to argue that reality television simply reflects normal human flaws and perhaps even leads viewers to hold up a critical mirror to their own behavior. In this same vein, it should also be noted that reality television has done much to create conversation around important social issues like racism, substance abuse, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. Although it is impossible to deny that reality television has promoted the idea of instant celebrity, one could also argue that it is possible for people to find legitimate motivation in the success achieved by those who have gained fame through reality television. It should also be remembered that some reality television stars find ways of using their fame to make a positive impact.

About the Author

Jack Lasky is a professional content creator and editor from Pittston, Pennsylvania. He specializes in writing and updating academic reference materials on a wide range of current events, historical, scientific, and pop culture topics. Jack holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications and an associate’s degree in journalism and has been working in the educational publishing industry since 2010.

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