The thing about "reality" shows is that it is extremely easy for them to turn a profit. They are extremely cheap to produce, there is a lot of advertisement money to be made (product placement, etc) as it is extremely easy to use those products in the show, and with many people's "dumbed-down" standards for amusement there is almost a guaranteed audience due to the shock factor alone. Love it or hate it, most people are going to watch at least once... The only way that's going to happen is if people quit watching it. It's gotten so bad that
ABC just cancelled "One Life to Live" and "All My Children" to replace them with "Reality" shows. Unfortunately, it's going to get worse before it gets any better.
It's all part of this "sell-out" society we live in. I understand the need for things to be profitable, but when quality is compromised for a guarantee of income.. well that's what I consider a sell-out. Take movie sequels for example... how often do you see a "Part two" that is as good as the original? ALMOST NEVER. If you think about it, the sequel doesn't have to be good. People are still going to watch it anyway because they loved the original so much. What really burns my britches is when they specifically set up the original for a sequel.
Television, movies, music, and even video games have really gone downhill though. It's almost like they've run out of original material to write about, so they have to copy off of each other. A remake every once in a while can be a good thing, but when the majority of material released is a remake or a sequel... that just tells me that no one wants to invest in original material anymore.
I'm finding myself looking forward to watching "Cowboys and Aliens" when it comes out because it's something different for a change, AND it's not a cartoon! And although I do love cartoons, I'm in no hurry to see Rio because it looks like "more of the same."
I actually used to really love "American Chopper" even knowing that a lot of it was instigated, but when I saw absolute proof that it was completely fake.. well that completely turned me off of it.. and most other reality shows (the few I cared about anyway). It was the scene where Junior and Senior got into the big fight in the office and Junior stormed off the day before he was let go (or quit or whatever). After he stormed off, Senior kicked the mini-fridge that had a microwave sitting on top of it, sending both appliances flying across the room. If you look close, there was an outlet behind the fridge but yet neither appliance was plugged in. Why would that be?
What ticks me off even more is the over-dramatizing of 'normal' things that tends to happen in those shows! You know, the stuff that looks good in the previews but really doesn't mean squat? One example was that Flying Alaska show which really could have been great, but on one landing he did a fly over the dirt strip and the narrator made it seem like it was too windy to land safely with two passengers and a baby on board. Then after the commercial he makes a picture perfect landing, dead center.. not even crabbing at all or anything. Then once out of the plane they are all being interviewed and there is no wind whatsoever.. even their clothing isn't blowing around! There's no doubt in my mind that he did to a fly over first, but probably to check for big rocks or potholes or animals, etc.. that could be in the way and not at all because of the wind.
I just feel like I'm being played for a fool when they do stuff like that. I really am *THIS* close to cancelling my cable altogether and rabbit-earing for a while. Losing HD might be a bit annoying but at least I'll have Blu-rays and Netflix. I watch them 90% of the time anyway.
