Well according to the CQ research article I just finished reading, the show that has always been disseminated to me as the first reality show is actually nothing more than a blip on the historical road of reality TV. But, Candid Camera, really? You are inciting a response from someone. Not a natural observation. If that was the case then it would be one boring show. I get it. The show where they mention the family they follow in Santa Barbara had a lot of modern flavor to it but seemed more like a social/cultural experiment. It was produced by PBS so what did you expect. All of the other "early" reality shows were simply talent shows or game shows. Reality?
The show that was explained to me to be the start of reality TV was "COPS" by which the article got the launch year of the show wrong. It actually launched in 1986 with Geraldo Rivera of all people hosting the show as a type of ride along with police. After producer Malcolm Barber saw the first episode he wanted to do something different. Simply let the cameras follow the officers with no commentary associated and the filmed material will do all the talking. America's Most Wanted hit airways in 1987, but is that really reality TV. To me it's an infomercial on fugitives. They do re-enactments during every episode! It's about the same as watching your nightly news. Clearly the author has his opinion of what reality TV is. I stated in my reality TV blog that this type of television is relative to the viewer and the author shows his subjectivity in the article. He also hammers my show too! The First 48 is mentioned and the negative storyline of a 7 year old girl being killed in a police raid was highlighted to support the hypothesis of the degrading value of reality TV. The author implies, in a subtle way, that cameras were there to catch the horror of the little girls death and that camera's being there may be the reason? Those camera's being at the raid had no impact on whether that little girl was going to die or live that night. What would be really compelling is if A&E followed investigators into the IA investigation of the shooting. House money says not a chance.
Everybody has an opinion. I respect that. But I am sure we can all agree that original programming is sorely missed. Where have all the good TV shows gone?
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