Is Reality TV DYING??

mdlcal28

mdlcal28

O.G.
Feb 1, 2008
1,487
5
#1
Do you think that the majority of the "reality" shows are dying a slow death? What little reality there is to them?

I must confess I have watched a few, but I mostly just roll my eyes at them.

I watched DWTS when Helio Castroneves won it - he's the ONLY reason I watched it.........

RHONJ - I watched it the first year -

The Osbournes - come on, it was The OZ Man!!

Family Jewels - only one I watched faithfully......

Never seen the Kardcashers, Survivor, The Hills, and whatever other ones were on MTV..........MTV died A LONG time ago...........

I have decided if I want to watch REALITY TV, I will turn on The First 48......and I do NOT watch the news anymore - too DEPRESSING

I mean.......Storage Wars? Hog Wars? Gator Catchers?

And the movies now are all remakes of classics, or Star Wars Episode 534!

There IS NO IMAGINATION left in TV or movies.......

What do you think?
 
#3
I would say that in addition to reality TV being on the air, there are also a LOT of hot real, top quality TV shows that have developed a strong fan base. For example, Modern Family, 30 Rock, parks and rec. I think comedy sitcoms are making a big comeback. And just this season alone, there are so many new strong tv shows - just by looking in the TV subforum you can tell Revenge and American Horror Story, among others, are huge hits. I think if we keep getting enough quality REAL tv shows, the stupid stuff will eventually filter out. I feel like all the other reality shows (American Idol, DWTS, Survivor, etc) just aren't as popular anymore. Just like with every trend, people get sick of it. Before reality TV shows hit it big, shows like Friends and Frasier were just ending and were wildly popular and I think we are cycling back to humorous shows.
 
#4
I think the cheaply made reality tv shows are dying a bit, but in general I think every tv genre is growing. I don't remember ever having so many shows on my "to watch" list.
 
#5
I dont think they're dying at all. Theres still a HUGE hype over certain reality shows.. Jersey Shore (didnt even come out that long ago), X Factor, Americas Got Talent, Big Brother, ect ect.

I do think however that there are sooo many shows now.. and many of them arent even that good. Or they just focus on one thing (example hoarders).. I mean how much of the same hoarding can you watch? lol. But people are so fame hungry (even some celebs) they will do anything to get on a reality show, even if its not very creative or interesting and I think its causing people to get disinterested in the general genre of reality tv.

I admit I was a reality tv FANATIC when they first started coming out. But thats before I found out reality tv isnt really "reality tv." And while I still enjoy a couple of them, the hype isnt there as much.

I do agree, there is not much imagination! I see myself bored quickly with new movies coming out.. remakes of old movies, the same movies with zombies or love stories/comedies.. the best movies are from back in the day!
 
#6
As much as I love a good doc or art house film, sometimes I just want to see Snooki harass some poor club goer, or Housewives duke it out. There's no problem with having a bit of McDonald's alongside a filet mignon.

I actually love DWTS though. My only critique is that it seems to, in recent years, have become more and more about popularity and public appeal rather than actual dancing talent. I'm not sure what appeal Kate Gosselin, Bristol Palin or Hope had to keep any of them on as long as they did, but maybe I'm just missing something. There's a tonne of people I want to see on the show, though I'm not really sure if any of them are D-List enough to be on it.

I'm not up enough on trends to predict anything. I will say, I have no problem with adults over the age of say, 16 or 18 making fools of themselves, but those parents who parade their underage kids around on reality TV like Show Ponies (Michelle Duggar, Kris Kardashian, Toddler Mom's, I'm looking at you!) turn my stomach. I cannot understand why any sane parent would put their child on reality TV, but I guess they need the money. Shows that really make underage kids the focus, really turn my stomach - and I have absolutely no feeling but disgust when I see the Duggar parents on television, though that's another discussion all together.

Gene Simmons gets a pass though - he's really grown on me (though I've always enjoyed KISS.) and Nick Simmons... yum.

To be fair, though I don't watch a whole lot of reality TV - DWTS & RHoBH are my two guilty pleasures, and the rest of my TV watching is basically Frontline specials, AC:360, Anthony Bourdain's travel/food series (though I guess they could count as reality TV), and old re-runs of Frasier and the original Law & Order (Logan & Briscoe FTW!)
 
#7
I don't think reality TV is dying. People still come up with (stupid) things to make a reality show. I do think the 29ish seasons of real world and 8 seasons of real housewives in 15 different cities are getting old though. It's the same thing over and over again. All the shows are becoming so obviously "FAKE".

There are a lot more "quality" TV shows now that are getting more attention though.
 
#8
There is a difference between a "reality" show and a "competition" show.

American Idol, DWTS, ANTM, X-Factor = Competition shows.

Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, Bridezillas = "Reality" (term used loosely here) shows.
 
#9
Hey, hey now! Storage Wars is one of my faves! I think reality tv will be around for some time. It seems as though any and every thing can be some type of challenge/competition or reality show.

Competitions are ok; I like Chopped on Food Network.

Reality shows are pretty much scripted now so I don't give it much thought. Just entertainment if you will.
 
#12
I hope all those shows die a fast painful death.
The writers strike is what started that whole mess. That and peoples voyeurism. I'm very tired of all of them. Let the original ideas and good writing begin!
 
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