My lovely wife, with her milestone of 25 Blog Points here, chose to have "attempt to conceive of a reality show that Vicki and I would both enjoy watching."
That's a tough one (which is probably why she picked it) because I really hate reality shows! I think they're stupid, and I think they dumb down the people who watch them so avidly. Just my opinion, but that's what this blog is all about, after all.
So I tried to think of the very small handful of pseudo-reality shows I've actually enjoyed over the past decade. Junkyard Wars and Project: Greenlight both came to mind. I'm not sure either qualifies in the genre, really, but at least they're along the same lines as the so-called reality TV industry. And that's one of the many problems I have with those shows: it seems pretty apparent that at least some of them are less real - and more written - than they'd have us believe. Whether Junkyard Wars or Project: Greenlight were guilty of that or not, I don't know; but at least they had interesting subject matters (building stuff, whether it's a contraption or a low-budget movie).
And that's significant, because... Most of what's on TV right now, calling itself "reality," is about crap I wouldn't waste thirty seconds of my life on! People engaged in a popularity contest on an island? Who cares! Couples racing around the world trying to find clues or accomplish tasks? Boring! Competitions to see who can outlast the others in battles of squeasmishness? I'd rather watch golf!! (Which isn't saying much!)
So I think the description of a reality show that Vicki and I would both enjoy watching would go something like this:
"Looking Under the Rock: Something new in Reality TV, coming to you from NBC. This bold new hour-long program will record the making of each week's episode of 30 Rock. What you'll see each week is an edited version of what we consider to be the highlights of this week's activities, but if you want the raw material, go to NBC.COM and every minute of every day on the set will be available for you to stream. Nothing's being doctored here, folks... and we've got the footage to prove it!"
I think we'd get into that.
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5 comments:
Pssh popularity contest! When done well, it's strategic.
Good job on the blog entry! Yes I'm sure I would enjoy the backstage look at the reality of making 30 Rock.
Made me smile to remember Junkyard Wars....especially the first few years with the English hosts...fun fun.
Small typo - 'game' instead of 'came' in the third paragraph.
I consider most 'reality' shows to actually be the modern equivalent of game shows except the contestants last for a season rather than an episode.
The 'reality' is based on the audience getting to know certain parts of the competitors. However that image is completely determined by the editing of the episodes as that can distort 'reality' to whatever point of view the producers want to convey.
Thanks.. typo fixed!
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