History of Reality TV Shows

The genre of reality TV shows began in the 1940’s. The so called “granddaddy of reality TV shows” was Candid Camera, which debuted in 1948. This show broadcasted ordinary people reacting to unexpected pranks. A few competitive game shows aired in the 1950’s including: Beat the Clock, Truth or Consequences, and the Miss America pageant. Another show that helped make reality TV shows successful was the radio series Nightwatch, this was recordings of the daily activities of Culver City, California police officers. You Asked For It was the first reality show where the audience could participate and cast votes to help determine the course of events. The Radio Times Guide to Film 2007 said that Chelsea Girls an Andy Warhols film in 1966 is “to blame for reality television.”

The reality TV we watch today is most alike to how reality TV was in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The show that introduced putting strangers in the same environment and recording the drama was Nummer 28. This show aired in 1991 it also included a lot of soundtrack music and “confessionals” by cast members after an event happened. One year later a very similar show became a hit on MTV called The Real World. The created of Nummer 28 was sure that The Real World was directly inspired by his show, but the creator of The Real World said he got the idea from An American Family. An American Family was the first reality show in modern sense on PBS in 1974. In 1997, a Swedish TV show, Expedition Robinson, was a mix between Nummer 28/Real World taking competition, elimination, strangers, and drama and put them all into one show. This aired until only one winner remained. A few years later this was produced as Survivor in other countries.

Survivor and American Idol have been the top-rated series on American television for an entire season. Survivor, Idol, Top Model, Dancing With the Stars, The Apprentice, Fear Factor, and Big Brother have had global impact, they have been successful series in dozens of countries. During the 2000’s many of these reality TV shows have been put on DVD, so you can purchase and watch according to your schedule. In 2007, according to the Learning and Skills Council, one in seven UK teenagers hope to gain fame by appearing on reality television.

Throughout the history of reality television it has become much more graphic and sex is common. With reality TV changing in these ways I often wonder where it’s headed because it doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon.

You can find more history of reality TV shows at this site:
http://http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1842705,00.html