TV networks are very tactical when they greenlight a new show. Casts and crews spend months filming a pilot episode, organizing private screenings, and convincing the public that this show will be great, in order for producers to fork over money. For some reason, one genre that emerged and has still survived is reality television. Over the years, the demand for reality shows has grown, so more and more TV networks continue to provide them.
Now, when I say “reality TV,” I don’t mean shows like “Dancing With the Stars,” “America’s Next Top Model” or “The Voice.” I’m talking about shows like “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “The Bachelor(ette),” “Jersey Shore,” and “Teen Mom.” Reality shows that are supposed to depict real life but are merely scripted versions of real-life drama. “The Bachelor(ette)” is a competition-based reality show I lump into this category because it devalues love, the dating process, and every contestant on the show. These reality shows don’t teach their viewers any important lessons -- unless you count how not to act.
I’m sure many people continue to watch these shows and contribute to weekly ratings for their “entertainment value.” We love to watch stupid people make horrible life choices and incite drama because it makes us feel like we’re not so bad after all. Yet fictional shows do the same thing. Take “Everybody Loves Raymond” or “Big Bang Theory” -- the main characters in both shows are weird, quirky, and always do things they’ll quickly regret. TV is meant to be entertaining; so why do people find the need to not only watch something so pointless, but also become so emotionally invested?
Back in middle school, when “Jersey Shore” was all the rage, I overheard countless conversations on the bus ride home about what Snooki, Pauly D, and whoever else mattered on that show had done in the most recent episode. People oohed and aahed about who hooked up with whom, who might actually get together, and so on. Given how old we were (11- to 14-years-old), I didn’t find any of that interesting. I was more than happy to talk to my friends about “High School Musical,” a movie which had just as much social and dating drama as “Jersey Shore” without all the booze and hookups.
Nowadays, people gossip about the most recent Kardashian scandal. Why? What’s the big deal? How is finding out which Kardashian sister is getting divorced or pregnant going to affect your daily schedule? I just don’t get the excitement. Sure, I become emotionally invested in plenty of shows, but I don’t dwell on the drama throughout the day. I watch a show, scream at a cliffhanger, then move on to whatever I need to do with my life. I don’t scroll through Facebook in search of news about Kim’s relationship with Kanye or whether Kourtney will stay with Scott.
Where’s the true lure of reality TV? The typical arguments -- it makes people feel better about themselves, the drama is entertaining -- seem to be applicable to any type of show. With reality TV, there’s no direction. Cameras follow around a bunch of people who yell at each other for various reasons each episode. There’s no plot or character development, nothing to actually look forward to the next week. Even if a person does “change,” the show is scripted, so reality TV isn’t even real. So, seriously, what’s the deal?
