Reality Telivision

What is reality television?

"As we embark upon a new century of broadcasting, it is clear that no genre, form, or type of programming has been as actively marketed by producers, or more enthusiastically embraced by viewers, than reality-based TV" (Friedman 6). What exactly is reality television? "Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes of 'real life' people (as opposed to actors or fictional characters) are followed" (Wikipedia). What are the types of reality programming? Can viewers trust that the cast members are 'real life people' and not actors?

The history of reality television shows date back to 1973. "The first reality show broadcast was the PBS series An American Family, broadcast in the United States in three parts" (Wikipedia). Long before all of the hype of reality television shows, people watched shows that reflected their own sense of reality. These shows had instances of real life crisis such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse, diversity, and other things that people encounter everyday. For example the ABC series Full House featured a single parent home whose only parent was the father, raising three daughters whose ages ranged from preschool to high school. Everyone on the Full House series had their share of problems; the eldest daughter had to confront peer pressure, the middle daughter felt as if she had no purpose except being the gap between the eldest and youngest, and the youngest wanted to find out why she had no mother. So the shows that have actors cast to portray what reality is like tend to be the best.

Since reality television's birth in 1973 there have been many shows to come about that are also reality based. The early nineties produce MTV's The Real World, which focus was the cohabitation of strangers for a certain amount of time. There are dating reality shows which are most like soap operas, with all of the bickering and backstabbing there is no room for true friendships. This is just some of the dating show roster: Cupid which a young woman and her friends scour the US for eligible gentlemen, and Joe Millionaire which contained an construction worker who is portraying to have just inherited millions of dollars. There are the reality shows for those who want to sport their athleticism such as, Fear factor, The