State of TV: Death of Reality TV

“TV got real, music went fake.” Joe Budden

No matter what station you turn to, every station has at least one reality TV show. You have America’s Next Top Model, Top Chef, Millionaire Match Maker and of course the numerous love shows on VH1 and MTV. You can’t escape reality TV. But I am almost at my limit with Reality TV. The sitcom and drama has died. Am I the only person not fixated on Reality TV? I must admit some of the shows are addictive and can be a guilty pleasure, but every form of media needs balance. For every reality show there should be a sitcom or drama to watch.

We are no longer in the days with Must See Wednesday’s on NBC or TGI Friday’s on ABC, so good thing for premium cable. If I didn’t have HBO or Showtime I would truly want to give up watching TV as a whole. Shows like Entourage, True Blood, Weeds and Nurse Betty just to name a few are great shows with great writers. I think the recession has part to do with the overload of Reality TV on the air. It is a lot cheaper to cast people who just want their 15 minutes of fame, instead of signing actors, actresses and writers who want thousands of dollars per episode. That still isn’t a good enough reason for me to make TV so monotonous. “Reality shows cost an average of $400,000 per hour to produce versus $2 million for a dramatic series,” (Rome Neal, CBS News). It may be the economy in more than just paying actors and writers. It may be the fact the average viewers are working extra jobs and doesn’t have time for TV anymore, which lowers the Nielsen Ratings which causes shows to cut back on the quality elements to make a good show. There are a few good network sitcoms and dramas around, (Criminal Minds, The Office), but not enough to balance all of the reality TV.

The CW had the sitcom The Game, it had rave reviews, it was interesting—good actors and storyline, yet it was still canceled. Honestly, it would be a lot better if it was on HBO or Showtime. But if network TV doesn’t see a show as a cash cow, no matter how good it is they will drop it. The industry just like the country is run on the dollar bill. So to the top TV executives “If it don’t make dollars, it don't make sense.”

Sad to say I think an abundance of reality TV will be around for another 4 to 5 years before it filters through everyone’s system. By then only the good reality TV will have survived for example Real World and all of the horrific ideas will fade to black i.e. Megan Wants a Millionaire. By the way, who would have thought they would come out with a show that promotes gold-digging? And they get mad at rap lyrics (that’s another story).

By the end of the next 4 to 5 years the balance of TV will be back. You will have your sitcoms, dramas, sports and reality TV and this media outlet will no longer be over saturated with bad reality TV shows.

By Antwain Jackson