REALITY TV: ALIVE AND KICKING

 

     Reality TV is a term we've heard a lot over the last four years, pertaining, no doubt, to President Trump's previous connection to the genre. A look at the current TV schedule, both on mainstream channels and cable TV, reveals that it continues as a popular and sustaining form. Consider, for example,  new revival shows like ABC's SUPERMARKET SWEEPSTAKES and older ones like NBC's AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR plus the History Channel's MONSTER QUEST. 

     Which leads us not only to question the genre's particular popularity today but also to ponder its origins and definitions. Thinking about its roots, we realize that Reality TV owes its beginnings to documentary/non-fiction films, perhaps starting with the Lumiere Brothers' "Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory" shot in 1895. (Oddly enough, some movie historians find narrative aspects incorporated into this non-fiction work.) Reality TV may also find its documentary inceptions in the well-known 1922 "Nanook of the North" which, again, contains recreated and / or fictional elements: for example, Nanook's family may not have been his actual one. Additionally are the recreations of his "push/pull" battle with a seal and the fact that the director cut out snow chunks so that the camera could shoot inside Nanook's igloo. 

     Such origins might be an indication that even the earliest non-fiction films were also inherently fictional as well. This idea leads us to question the definition of such a genre: a belief that there might not be such a form as a documentary if one follows its conventional denotation. That is,  the recording of an actual event, as it is actually happening, in the places and by the people that are actually involved. Simply put, there will always be cinematic decisions made that alter reality: camera placement; camera angle, recreations, and so forth. Such reality alterations play a powerful part in Reality TV. 

     Finally, and more to the point here, is the examination of Reality TV's popularity, both in the past and in our present culture. Some early, random examples offer substantial reasons for such approval. Consider 1992s THE REAL WORLD following the lives of strangers who live in the same house ( "20- somethings" on their journey to adulthood, thus their rites-of-passage ).  It ran until 2017. ( 1973's AN AMERICAN FAMILY, an earlier, yet somewhat similar reality program, may have been an influence, where subjects were members of the same family and where one son declared himself gay on air, a "first" in the annals of broadcast history. ) This example and The Real World launched other "spin-offs," like the fictional Melrose Place, but also were credited for dealing with substantive societal issues including sexuality, racism and religion. 

     COPS ( 1989 ) and LIVE PD ( 2016 ) are two other Reality TV examples with renown histories and social significances. Each was cancelled recently because of the public's negative reaction to George Floyd's death (perhaps finally admitting to the show's racism).  Oddly enough , however, this critic found random episodes that showed the police in a positive light, helping fix a clogged drain ( Live PD ) and working with neighborhood kids ( Cops ). Yet, both programs were considered provocative and racist as viewers followed the cops on their rounds.  

    "Liberal" audiences were astounded by the violence and dangerous situations; some police shows could even be traced to real- life situations aired on the evening news ( including police beating a man who refused to get out of his truck ). Yet other liberal viewers actually watched these programs to relax and forget their own stressful lives ( according to this critic's research ).

     Another well-liked and long-lasting reality example is Monster Quest ( 2007 ), also often dealing with a dangerous environment that can erupt at any time, like Cops and Live PD. The setting is usually in rural, remote areas where the residents experience strange creatures and people. The interesting aspect about Monster Quest is the seemingly calm, pretty surroundings, versus the horrible circumstances that confront people in the show. No doubt that there is fantasy incorporated into this kind of reality, but most people are left with a sense of dread.

     Such a feeling matches what Americans are currently experiencing. Monsters represent the perfect metaphor for Covid -19. Or for Donald Trump.