Thursday, October 07, 2004
Reality's staying power
When you oversaturate the market there are bound to be casualties. Just as in scripted television, each new season of TV presents us with more duds than the year before. Not everything can be a hit. So when articles like this make print, there's no reason to get overly excited.
Of the shows listed that got the boot -- Newcomers The Benefactor, The Complex: Malibu, Renovate My Family and boxing series The Next Great Champ are chumps -- all are pretty damn terrible. How many sitcoms fail to make it past their second episode? Several.
But how about shows that have some seniority? USA Today points out that in it's 9th season, "Survivor" is still a ratings monster. Why is that, do you suppose? Because, whether you like the show or not, it is compelling television. "The Apprentice" is compelling television. Something like "Fear Factor," on the other hand, not so compelling. You can only watch someone eat bugs for so long, right? Yet the show, despite a "dip" in ratings, still does incredibly well. It's a proven commodity. Hell, even Real World -- after 15 seasons -- is currently experiencing its best ratings performance ever. People stick to what they know.
In reality tv, you know instantly (9/10 times at the point of the show's conception) whether you have a hit or a dud.
Having just had a lunch meeting this afternoon with some WGA folk regarding nudge nudge, wink wink, its clear that most everyone in television believes reality has a firm place on the air. This season, more so than ever. There are over 40 shows currently in production.
Where am I going with all this? I don't even know. I guess all I'm saying is that it's time people get over the notion of reality being an alien genre. Everything has an ebb and flow. Just so happens that right now, network television is being suffocated by reality shows. But just like any drama or comedy, the bad ones will fail and the good ones will continue.
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Of the shows listed that got the boot -- Newcomers The Benefactor, The Complex: Malibu, Renovate My Family and boxing series The Next Great Champ are chumps -- all are pretty damn terrible. How many sitcoms fail to make it past their second episode? Several.
But how about shows that have some seniority? USA Today points out that in it's 9th season, "Survivor" is still a ratings monster. Why is that, do you suppose? Because, whether you like the show or not, it is compelling television. "The Apprentice" is compelling television. Something like "Fear Factor," on the other hand, not so compelling. You can only watch someone eat bugs for so long, right? Yet the show, despite a "dip" in ratings, still does incredibly well. It's a proven commodity. Hell, even Real World -- after 15 seasons -- is currently experiencing its best ratings performance ever. People stick to what they know.
In reality tv, you know instantly (9/10 times at the point of the show's conception) whether you have a hit or a dud.
Having just had a lunch meeting this afternoon with some WGA folk regarding nudge nudge, wink wink, its clear that most everyone in television believes reality has a firm place on the air. This season, more so than ever. There are over 40 shows currently in production.
Where am I going with all this? I don't even know. I guess all I'm saying is that it's time people get over the notion of reality being an alien genre. Everything has an ebb and flow. Just so happens that right now, network television is being suffocated by reality shows. But just like any drama or comedy, the bad ones will fail and the good ones will continue.
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