Inside TV

Are we tired of reality TV?

By James Hibberd on Oct 31, 2014 at 12:44PM

@james_hibberd

Maybe it was DC Cupcakes, because we didn't need another cable reality show about cake bosses. Or perhaps it was the latest chronicling of blue-collar workers in Alaska or Louisiana. (Doesn't Crawfish Catchers look tedious? And we bet you can't even tell whether that title is real or not).

Or it could have been Bravo's seventh Real Housewives series.

Or E!'s fourth Kardashians title.

Whatever marked the official tipping point, it all feels familiar now: the master chefs, treasure seekers, tattoo artists, makeover experts, ghost hunters, dirty jobbers, untrained pets, C-list celebrity families, and glow-tanned bickering glambots overturning restaurant tables. We've been Flipping Out for years, and don't necessarily want to flip out anymore. Even VH1's Dating Naked, a series that got more buzz than any other new reality show in 2014, disappointed in the ratings (it debuted to just 826,000 viewers). You know a genre's in trouble when hot naked singles rubbing body paint on one another can't draw a crowd.

The diminishing returns of cable TV's sea of reality sameness — ratings for 14 of the top 20 major cable channels declined in 2014 — is one of the reasons networks that have devoted decades to producing unscripted shows are suddenly making dramas too. Bravo, E!, WGN, Pivot, WEtv, and even Animal Planet have all either recently launched, or are readying to launch, their first scripted shows.

"Every year the number of shows that premiere increases exponentially while the number that hit decreases exponentially," says Lara Spotts, Bravo's senior VP of development. "It's the most Hunger Games-ian environment we've ever seen as programmers. We're all trying as many strategic moves as we can."

And it's not just cable networks that are finding the odds are not in their favor. There hasn't been a new breakout reality show on broadcast TV since The Voice launched in 2011. Before that, there was Fox's MasterChef in 2010 and ABC's Shark Tank in 2009. But most of the broadcast reality hits are more than a decade old — like CBS' Survivor (2000), ABC's The Bachelor (2002), and Fox's American Idol (2002).

There has been plenty written about why there hasn't been a new hit lately, but it all comes down to saturation. We are full. Several hundred new shows are launched across cable and broadcast every year, and most are unscripted. It's very difficult to show us a reality concept that's both (A) truly intriguing and (B) somewhat original — as the producers of Fox's Utopia can attest.

Even AMC decided the reality TV game was too tough to crack right now. Two years ago the channel made an investment in reality programming with a new batch of shows. The network recently canceled all but two of of them (and one survivor is its Walking Dead chat show). "In an environment of exploding content options for viewers, we have decided to make scripted programming our priority," AMC announced in early October.

So now, even die-hard reality TV networks are trying scripted shows instead. Bravo will enter the scripted fray in December with Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, starring Lisa Edelstein as a fortysomething self-help author who navigates her marital split. "Shonda Rhimes isn't on five nights a week, so maybe [her audience] will come to us on Tuesdays," Spotts reasons.

Next year Bravo's rival E! will launch The Royals, a soapy scripted drama about a wildly fictionalized British royal family, starring Elizabeth Hurley as the queen of England. "It's harder and harder for a reality show to break through," says Jeff Olde, executive VP of programming at E!. "And for us The Royals felt like a natural extension, to give our viewers a look into a world where we'd gladly send our reality cameras but where they could never go."

At least three new scripted projects made by basic cable networks are horror series, and there's one obvious inspiration there — AMC's The Walking Dead is delivering an incredible 17 million viewers. WEtv's new scripted show will be the exorcism drama South of Hell, exec-produced by Eli Roth and starring Mena Suvari. Animal Planet is developing the graphic-novel series The Other Dead, about zombie animal attacks in Louisiana. And WGN America, a network best known for sports coverage and sitcom reruns, bypassed the reality genre altogether and turned to original programming earlier this year with the scripted witches'-brew drama Salem. "[Horror] has a built-in audience that you can count on to come to your network and check it out," Cherniss says. "There were people building fan websites for Salem before they had even seen it—and that's very specific to these kinds of shows."

Obviously, a drama doesn't guarantee an audience will show up, either. On Thursday, WEtv canceled its first scripted drama series effort The Divide.

Don't take all this the wrong way. Reality TV isn't going anywhere. In the early days of the genre, that was the cliched media story — "Is reality TV a trend?" reporters would ask. It's not a trend. It's not dying or dead. But there does seem to be a weariness and a need for a format that's truly original to break away from the pack, and not just yet another variation on what we've already seen. "There's an ebb and flow, certainly, a natural lunar cycle," Spotts says. "But I think people's interest in what other people are doing is as fertile as ever."

Still, expect to see fewer shows about naked house-flipping polygamous bass fishers in the near future, and a few more shows with impressive acting, smooth camera work, and snappily crafted dialogue (along with a zombie gator or two).

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The Collective Conscience of Reality Television

10:15 PM No comments

Once famous for flipping dinner tables on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, reality star Teresa Giudice and her husband Giuseppe "Joe" were recently sentenced to one and three-and-a-half years in jail respectively. When Giudice and her husband pleaded guilty to numerous counts of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in March, Bravo's cameras captured every drama-filled moment for the show's sixth season.

Bravo managed to film the sentencing just in time for the season finale, which even showed Teresa's enemies crying. Teresa and Joe may be convicted criminals, but it's difficult to not feel for the couple throughout the season as viewers watch footage of their four young daughters celebrating what may be their last Christmas together as a family for a long time. Or when the eldest daughter looks at her mother and says "I obviously know what's going on. I'm old enough to comprehend and understand what's going on," as tears stream down her face.

What viewers will or won't watch matters immensely to networks; in fact, they seem function as the networks' sole "conscience."

Most reality shows in the vein of Real Housewives just feature dinner parties gone wrong and screaming matches, which viewers avidly consume. Networks are willing to show almost everything, regardless of the impact on its cast members, until their viewers get upset, lash out on social media, or threaten to stop watching entirely. What viewers will or won't watch matters immensely to networks; in fact, they seem function as the networks' sole "conscience."

There is, of course, content that producers will not air, though "that varies from production company to company," a reality-television producer who asked not to be named said in an email. "Personally, I believe a producer, and then in turn the network, will air anything that does not put them at serious risk of lawsuit."

Producers set few boundaries when it comes to airing non-litigious content with potentially damaging consequences for its stars. MTV found itself facing backlash after the series premiere of Jersey Shore when trailers for upcoming episodes showed Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi getting punched in the face at a bar by a stranger. The network pulled the footage after receiving complaints from viewers about depicting violence against women. Producers give viewers what they want to see, but at a certain point the audience begins to empathize with the cast members and turns on producers.

Why Every Reality TV Show Has (Almost) the Same Plot

Showing Snooki being sucker-punched is extreme, and viewers objected. But if viewers don't care, then the networks essentially have free rein to show what they want. Take the case of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Former cast member Taylor Armstrong discussed on-camera her husband Russell's physical abuse toward her and her five-year-old daughter throughout seasons one and two. Then three weeks before the second season premiered and just one month after Taylor filed for divorce, Russell committed suicide. While season two was packed with stories of Taylor's abuse, Bravo suddenly found itself being blamed for Russell's death, as critics said that the network unfairly portrayed him and drove him to suicide. The producers did edit out some scenes, like Taylor buying lingerie to spice up her marriage, but still showed a dinner party she attended with a black eye. One housewife asked her "Is this wha t it took for you to leave?," to which Taylor responded "Unfortunately." For Bravo, pushing the envelope proved beneficial—the second season of the show has so far had the highest ratings of the show's four-season run.

A year later during season three of the Beverly Hills series, another housewife, Brandi Glanville, announced castmate Adrienne Maloof's family secret at a dinner party. Bravo muted out the revelation, but after the episode aired, the tabloids began to investigate the secret, and ultimately the Maloofs admitted that Adrienne had used a surrogate to have her twin boys. After the incident, Maloof told Us Weekly that from the beginning of the show, her children would not be a part of the storyline. With a secret like that, Bravo couldn't resist, even if it meant almost going against Adrienne's contract, and found a way to weave it into the season. In an interview with Life and Style after the season, Adrienne said the revelation "destroyed her family" and put a strain on her marriage that ended in divorce.

Reality-television fans want to see what's "really" happening to other people, as long as it isn't too real.

Then there is the humiliation that some reality show participants have to endure. In 2009 on the 13th season of ABC's The Bachelor, Jason Mesnick originally proposed to one contestant on the finale but then six weeks later in a reunion episode, he confessed that his true love was the runner-up and dumped the teary-eyed winner on live television (as if break ups weren't difficult enough already). Mesnick in an interview later said that because of his contract with ABC he couldn't give his fiancé any advance warning before dumping her on the reunion show. Critics said that producers manipulated the show for ratings, but viewers didn't seem to mind, and airing it paid off for ABC. The show is the highest rated episode of all time in the series with about 17 million viewers.

Sometimes networks preempt viewers' reactions. After news surfaced that "Mama June" Shannon of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is dating a man convicted ten years ago of molesting her own daughter, TLC canceled the series effective immediately. In announcing the decision, the network said, "Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority. TLC is faithfully committed to the children's ongoing comfort and well-being." As a result, TLC hasn't faced any criticism from viewers or accusations of condoning child molestation.

This question of empathy should not be restricted to producers and networks. Because the whims and tastes of viewers drive the content of reality shows, some have argued that viewers should consider their own complicity in what happens to the show's stars. Dr. Bruce Weinstein, who writes an ethics column for Bloomberg, says "if people didn't want to invade people's privacy, nobody would watch these shows."

Even with deaths and families being torn apart, there is an audience for these shows and so networks continue to produce them. People want to indulge in the drama and the hair-pulling as a guilty pleasure, but most people don't enjoy watching others experience tremendous emotional or physical suffering. These shows continue to be defined by a strange conundrum among reality-television fans: They want to see what's "really" happening to other people, as long as it isn't too real. For producers, who don't think in terms of sympathy, it's a delicate balance of exploiting their stars' stories for ratings while trying to determine what viewers will shun. There is no sympathy "code" for producers to follow when choosing what material to air, but it may be wise for them to consider creating one instead of only relying on fan reaction.

This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/reality-tv/382004/

They Dated?! 18 Shocking Former Celebrity Couples

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Celebrities are a fickle bunch, especially when it comes to their personal lives. In fact, many of them have past relationships that few of us even know about. Take Amy Poehler, for example. The "Parks and Rec" star admitted to Howerd Stern that after her divorce from Will Arnett, she rebounded with John Stamos. Weird!

Another example of a shocking celebrity union: Pink admitted to Glamour last year that she dated N'Sync member Joey Fatone.

This got us thinking about other stars who've dated fellow famous folks in the past, most of whom we've either forgotten about as couples, or never knew were couples at all. Read on for some shocking celebrity relationships!

Amy Poehler and John Stamos: After her divorce from Will Arnett, the "Parks and Recreation" star rebounded with none other than hot Uncle Jessie. Poehler admitted as much on on "The Howard Stern Show," saying: "We worked on a movie. He did a little bit in a movie that I did and a bunch of us hung out. And then later on he's like, 'Let's go get dinner. And it was fine. I remember thinking like, 'Oh, s–t. Like, if this is really a date…' I think I was wearing a Leslie Knope top. I think I was wearing a shirt from work."

If you're wondering if anything more happened with Stamos, Poehler assured Stern she "didn't f–k" him."

Pink and Joey Fatone: In the June 2013 issue of Glamour, Pink opened up about some of her past loves—and this one was a shocker. "Joey Fatone was in love with me," she said, referring to the 'N Sync star. "He took me to Friendly's on a date and he bought me an ice cream. Such a sweetheart. He asked my dad's permission!" Between her pink hair and his shockingly bad red dye job, we think they would have been an early Aughts red carpet match made in heaven.

Cher and Tom Cruise: Back in the early 1980s, Cher and "Top Gun" hotshot Tom Cruise were a couple. In February 2008 on "Good Morning America," the iconic singer revealed that he wasn't a Scientologist when they were seeing each other, and that he was "just the most adorable man you can imagine."

Ashley Olsen and Lance Armstrong: Lance Armstrong certainly gets around. Between Tory Burch and Sheryl Crow, we weren't sure there were many high profile ladies left! But back in 2008, he had eyes for a younger A-lister: Ashley Olsen. They were spotted getting hot and heavy numerous times at New York hotspots. We guess blonde fashion designers are his weakness!

Katie Couric and Bob Saget: Couric told Howard Stern she indeed went out on a date with the comedian, but it wasn't meant to be. He "was fun, he was really fun," Couric said. "I had fun, I don't think I did it for him." As for Saget never calling? "That's alright," she assured Stern.

Natalie Portman and Moby: Um, what? Electronic musician and notable vegan Moby dated Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman back in 2001, long before her "Black Swan" days. They only dated for a few months, but remained close friends after.

Sofia Vergara and Enrique Iglesias: Although Enrique Iglesias' most famous relationship is with Anna Kournikova—whom he began dating in 2001—he previously dated "Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara. Back in those days, he was the household name—but that's pretty much changed.

Tyra Banks and Seal: Before he was Mr. Heidi Klum (and before they divorced and Klum started dating her bodyguard), Seal dated Tyra Banks back in 1996. They made one public appearance as a couple at the Essence Awards, and parted ways shortly thereafter.

Ellen Barkin and Johnny Depp: Prior to dating Kate Moss, Depp was involved with actress Ellen Barkin—who was 40 at the time (he was 30). Oddly enough, she actually sort of looked like a 2013 version of Kate Moss back then!

Minka Kelly and Donald Faison: Before her relationship with Derek Jeter and "Captain America" Chris Evans, Minka was getting cozy with our favorite Bronson Alcott High School alum in 2005: Donald Faison, primarily known for "Clueless," "Scrubs," and marrying Jessica Simpson's former assistant Cacee Cobb. They were actually adorable!

Madonna and Dennis Rodman: The eccentric basketball star and equally eccentric singer had a fling in 1994, and later in his autobiography "I Should Be Dead By Now," he claimed Madge was desperate for his child. He recalled receiving a phone call from her while he was away, stating: "It was like the 'somebody died call' from New York. I picked up the phone and Madonna was like, 'I'm ovulating, I'm ovulating. Get your ass up here.'"

Helen Hunt and Matthew Broderick: It's hard not to imagine Broderick trolling the West Village with glamorous wife Sarah Jessica Parker and their adorable kids these days, but back in 1987 he was involved with actress Helen Hunt. The duo obviously didn't work out—but they remain close friends. On the flip side, SJP dated the late JFK Jr. and Robert Downey Jr. before settling down with Broderick.

Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson: While working on the 1981 film "Excalibur," Neeson and Mirren struck up a relationship. They even lived together during the early 1980s, and he once told James Lipton on "Inside the Actors Studio" that she helped him score an agent.

Julia Roberts and Daniel Day-Lewis: The famous actors dated for a bit in 1995.

Sheryl Crow and Owen Wilson: While many associate Crow with Lance Armstrong, and Wilson with Kate Hudson, this rootsy couple actually dated for a bit in the early 2000s,

Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal: It's hard to not think of him dating Reese Witherspoon or Taylor Swift, but back in 2006, Gyllenhaal was involved with Natalie Portman. If there's one thing we've learned from all this, it's that famous people really just love other famous people.

Elsa Pataky and Adrien Brody: This is a wild one. Spanish actress Pataky dated Brody, who bought her an actual castle in 2008. According to Hello! magazine, Brody purchased a 19th-century estate surrounded by forest in upstate New York, and girlfriend Pataky by blindfolding her before unveiling it to her on her birthday. When I saw the castle, I asked Adrien, 'Is this ours?' the Spanish beauty told the magazine. He said, "Yes – welcome home." As it turns out, the couple didn't last, and Pataky married actor Liam Hemsworth—the complete opposite of Brody in every way.

Tara Reid and Carson Daly: Back when he was the host of "Total Request Live" and she was actually a working actress, Reid and Daly were a paparazzi favorite. They became engaged in 2000, but ultimately called it off when it was clear that they were a 1990s couple and it was probably best to remain that way.

Alanis Morissette and Ryan Reynolds: Okay, so these two were actually engaged and involved for years, but sometimes we totally forget these Canadian superstars were together. They dated from 2002 until 2007, and Morissette has admitted to writing break-up songs about him. After Alanis, his type seemed to changed drastically, as he married Scarlett Johansson, then Blake Lively.

Which onetime celebrity couple surprised you most?!

Reality TV Star Still Works at Grocery Store

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A man in Missouri featured on a new AMC reality show about professional arm wrestling is sticking to his roots and keeping his day job at a local grocery store.