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Just a thing I found that mentions a few I hadn't heard about ... but also forgot a few.
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Reality TV
The shows to know
by: Heather Moylan
Source MSN
What started as a bit of novel programming has turned into an out-and-out phenomenon. From the guilty pleasures to the high-brow, we have the must-know reality shows for 2004.
A brief History
The reality genre's certainly gained steam and market share in just the past two years, but its origins go back to "Candid Camera" in the early days of television.
Today's reality shows also owe a debt to PBS' controversial 1973 series, "An American Family," which followed an upper middle-class Santa Barbara family, the Louds. Dramatic revelations — like the demise of the parents' marriage — made for compelling television, roping in 10 million fans.
Flash forward to cable network MTV in the early 1990s. Producers decided to throw attractive kids — with radically different backgrounds, attitudes and beliefs — together in a house and broadcast all their sordid feuds and romances.
That formula still isn't too old; over 10 years later, MTV's "The Real World" is still going strong, along with several spin-offs.
But it was 2000's enormous hit, "Survivor," that truly changed it all. Based on the Swedish series, "Expedition: Robinson," the US version pits everyday citizens against exotic elements, starvation, fatigue, and most threatening — each other — in a race for the winning $1 million prize. Over six seasons, the series has been to Africa, the Australian Outback and other exotic locations, buoyed by unparalleled ratings (51 million people watched the first season's finale).
Show types
And so the wave was born, and TV will never be the same. Once a sub-genre, reality TV's spawned its own subsets. Among them:
Talent — Early leader "American Idol," with young crooners duking it out for a recording contract, is king of this market. Shows like "Fame," "America's Top Model" and "Are You Hot?" also tried to elbow in.
Celebrity — As if we weren't seeing enough of celebrities in the tabloids, this sub-genre includes ratings-winners "The Osbournes," "Newlyweds" (chronicling pop stars Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpsons' first months of marriage), "The Anna Nicole Show" and "The Simple Life" (where rich kids Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie rough it on an Arkansas farm).
Romance — Can true love be found in a television series? So far, the getting isn't so good on these dating/pairing shows: only one, "The Bachelorette" has seen its two "winning" stars marry. Others include "The Bachelor," "For Love or Money," "Married by America," "Joe Millionaire" and "Temptation Island."
Fish bowl — A lot of us wonder how someone could agree to put their life on TV. Seems we underestimate the allure of 15 minutes of fame. Among these shows are "Big Brother" and MTV's "The Real World."
Makeover — While many shows offer beauty tips and lifestyle advice (Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and Style Channel's "Style Court" for example), ABC's "Extreme Makeover" goes a step further, with free plastic surgery and startling physical transformations.
Home improvement — This market's taken off, spawning all sorts of spin-offs. Based on the British show "Changing Rooms," TLC's "Trading Spaces" is the reigning king of this genre. Wacky designers invade homeowner's abodes and oversee room makeovers, some good, some bad, and many ugly. Other such shows include "While You Were Out," "Clean Sweep" and "Designers' Challenge."
High-brow — The venerable PBS has even gotten in on the game. Their offerings, unsurprisingly, are a little less seedy. Among them, "1900 House," where a modern family sheds its comforts and gadgets to live as they would have in the Victorian Era. In "Warrior Challenge" contenders don swords and spears to do battle as Romans, Knights, Vikings or Gladiators.
Coming up
Here are five more shows to watch out for.
-- The next installment of "Survivor" will be an all-star version, bringing back memorable cast members from previous seasons. The series will air on February 1, after the Super Bowl.
Also in the queue:
- "Project Runway" on the Bravo network. Fashion designers will compete for a chance to have their own show at fall's glitzy fashion week in New York. Supermodel Heidi Klum will sit on the panel.
- "The Swap," set to debut on ABC next summer, will film two moms as they switch places for 10 days.
- NBC's "Adventures in Love" is currently conducting casting calls for single, outgoing guys and gals to sign on for the "next level of reality dating shows."
- Tennis star Andy Roddick will be leading "The Tour," a series that will follow him as he globetrots from May to September next year. Roddick, 21, told the Associated Press that "I've given producers total access ... except my bedroom — sorry, I have to draw the line somewhere."
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Obviously they missed quite a few ... Amazing Race and The Apprentice come to mind as well as some others.
Please do add anything, especially upcoming shows for us RealityTV Junkies.  | |
