Over the last decade, a disturbing trend emerged from the cable airwaves: reality shows. If I see another reality show, I will throw my cable box out of the window. And I like watching cable. Sometimes. I just don't understand the need for another reality show.
When MTV premiered "The Real World", a show about seven (twenty-something) strangers who would live together for four months - rent free (!) - in a New York City loft, they couldn't have envisioned the ensuing success, or raging obsession, which would follow. The gullible American public would later be introduced to shows like "Survivor", "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy", "College Hill", "The Apprentice", & "The Surreal Life."
Lately, it seems that every run of the mill celebrity is on television. Why? Because nobody wants to deal w/ their OWN reality, that's why! After 9-11, our society has become consumed w/ fear & terror. Perhaps our anxieites are lessened & we feel a little secure when we grab the remote control. Bobby Brown, Gene Simmons & Danny Bonaduce - yes, Danny Bonaduce - are the latest to grace the boob tube w/ half-hour episodes eerily reminiscent of situation-comedies w/ out the laugh tracks. They follow a path led by Nick & Jessica, who inspired Britany & Kevin, which gave us Venus & Serena.
The idea of following these folks around while they shop, eat, drive & sleep is neither interesting nor original, yet some people actually feel 'closer' to their idols when they discover they share the same toiletries. Whatever. I, for one, have had enough. I don't care what they do behind closed doors. This seems like an excuse to invade folks' privacy. I'm sick of reality shows. I'd rather watch Bewitched. But...
Has anybody seen Peaches & Herb?
Interestingly, reality tv is almost peaking around the same time as the technology advances to allow us all to create multimedia to post to the Internet. Today's blogs may be tomorrow's personalized, homemade Internet reality shows.
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