Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Business of Reality

There were 2 big upsets in Reality TVLand this week. Shawn beat Gilles on Dancing With The Stars and Kris beat Adam on American Idol. How about that? I always like it when there's an upset - it's just more interesting when things don't turn out the way everyone thinks they will. I also like the fact that even though they are monumentally overproduced, both of these shows are broadcast live, which means that there's always at least the possibility that something unplanned will happen.

This is in stark contrast to other reality shows such as The Bachelor, in which everything is so elaborately edited that there's almost no connection to the actual reality that took place during filming. The other problem with shows that are filmed in May and broadcast in July is that it's almost impossible to keep the outcome secret. Trust me on this - there are a couple of "sleuther" forums that will have sussed out the results of Jillian's Bachelorette adventure way before the finale hits the airwaves.

Anyway, check out this story in the New York Times for an interesting look at the commercial side of American Idol.

No comments: