Come out, come out, my little reality-hating talkbackers.
Herc is not on the fence when it comes to “Big Brother.” Herc never missed an episode of the first two seasons on CBS, and Herc inevitably and obsessively watches the Internet’s live feeds until the last contestants are finally booted back to their real lives. (Herc’s even concocted a secret, terribly rude “Big Brother” theme song set to the tune of Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom”!)
Can I express how gratified I was when I saw that E! special last summer? The one on which Amy Acker, David Boreanaz, and J. August Richards all gushed about how obsessed they were with “Big Brother”? Yes, they’re just dopey TV actors, but they were good enough to share the love. Eyegore and I were no longer alone!
Why aren’t more people vocal in their ardor for this show? There’s such a lot of us watching it! It garnered a huge audience when it bowed two years ago on CBS. It was a bigger hit when CBS brought it back with Will, Krista and Shannon last season. “Brother” continues to be a sensation overseas. Herc, Eyegore and the cast of “Angel” can’t be the only ones watching this fabulous franchise!
Critics call it boring. I swear it’s not. People go nuts inside that little house! There’s no relief valve! It’s a big simmering three-month cauldron of love, hate, plotting, paranoia and plain old-fashioned bad behavior. Cut off from television, music and news from the outside, contestants have as a source of entertainment only other contestants. And more often than not, they’re in the mood for drama!
Plus? There’s so much of it. Many balk at having to commit to three hours of primetime every single week, but I like the longform, I like lots of continuity, I like that the producers have less to edit out.
Plus plus? It was well over 100 degrees today here in beautiful Studio City, halter-top capital of the world and the site of the “Big Brother” domicile. This year’s house is teeming with Colleens and Ambers and Elisabeths. The girls are all hot, and for the first time none is older than 36.
Meet Herc’s new neighbors here.
Wednesdays 9 p.m. (the “Amazing Race” slot). Thursdays at 8 p.m. (the “Survivor” slot). Saturdays at 8 p.m. (the “Touched By An Angel” slot). CBS.
Can I express how gratified I was when I saw that E! special last summer? The one on which Amy Acker, David Boreanaz, and J. August Richards all gushed about how obsessed they were with “Big Brother”? Yes, they’re just dopey TV actors, but they were good enough to share the love. Eyegore and I were no longer alone!
Why aren’t more people vocal in their ardor for this show? There’s such a lot of us watching it! It garnered a huge audience when it bowed two years ago on CBS. It was a bigger hit when CBS brought it back with Will, Krista and Shannon last season. “Brother” continues to be a sensation overseas. Herc, Eyegore and the cast of “Angel” can’t be the only ones watching this fabulous franchise!
Critics call it boring. I swear it’s not. People go nuts inside that little house! There’s no relief valve! It’s a big simmering three-month cauldron of love, hate, plotting, paranoia and plain old-fashioned bad behavior. Cut off from television, music and news from the outside, contestants have as a source of entertainment only other contestants. And more often than not, they’re in the mood for drama!
Plus? There’s so much of it. Many balk at having to commit to three hours of primetime every single week, but I like the longform, I like lots of continuity, I like that the producers have less to edit out.
Plus plus? It was well over 100 degrees today here in beautiful Studio City, halter-top capital of the world and the site of the “Big Brother” domicile. This year’s house is teeming with Colleens and Ambers and Elisabeths. The girls are all hot, and for the first time none is older than 36.
Meet Herc’s new neighbors here.
Wednesdays 9 p.m. (the “Amazing Race” slot). Thursdays at 8 p.m. (the “Survivor” slot). Saturdays at 8 p.m. (the “Touched By An Angel” slot). CBS.
Critics call it boring. I swear it’s not. People go nuts inside that little house! There’s no relief valve! It’s a big simmering three-month cauldron of love, hate, plotting, paranoia and plain old-fashioned bad behavior. Cut off from television, music and news from the outside, contestants have as a source of entertainment only other contestants. And more often than not, they’re in the mood for drama!
Plus? There’s so much of it. Many balk at having to commit to three hours of primetime every single week, but I like the longform, I like lots of continuity, I like that the producers have less to edit out.
Plus plus? It was well over 100 degrees today here in beautiful Studio City, halter-top capital of the world and the site of the “Big Brother” domicile. This year’s house is teeming with Colleens and Ambers and Elisabeths. The girls are all hot, and for the first time none is older than 36.
Meet Herc’s new neighbors here.
Wednesdays 9 p.m. (the “Amazing Race” slot). Thursdays at 8 p.m. (the “Survivor” slot). Saturdays at 8 p.m. (the “Touched By An Angel” slot). CBS.
Plus plus? It was well over 100 degrees today here in beautiful Studio City, halter-top capital of the world and the site of the “Big Brother” domicile. This year’s house is teeming with Colleens and Ambers and Elisabeths. The girls are all hot, and for the first time none is older than 36.
Meet Herc’s new neighbors here.
Wednesdays 9 p.m. (the “Amazing Race” slot). Thursdays at 8 p.m. (the “Survivor” slot). Saturdays at 8 p.m. (the “Touched By An Angel” slot). CBS.
Wednesdays 9 p.m. (the “Amazing Race” slot). Thursdays at 8 p.m. (the “Survivor” slot). Saturdays at 8 p.m. (the “Touched By An Angel” slot). CBS.
Bonus! A few words about reality shows generally:
Why do we post about reality shows? Because people love ‘em!
* “Survivor: Africa” and “Survivor: Marquesas” made up two-fifths of this season’s top five shows (despite the fact that they had to compete most weeks against “Friends,” the year’s number-one show).
* “The Real World” and “The Osbournes” are MTV’s two top-rated shows. “The Real World: Chicago” ranks as the most-watched edition of the seminal series ever.
* “Blind Date” remains so popular it just inspired its 70th clone.
* “The Bachelor” was one of the few bright points on the ABC schedule this year. Its finale, aired the first day of May sweeps, crushed the competition.
* Fox’s talent-hunt show “American Idol,” with the Englishman who mocks all the O-Town rejects, is burning up the Nielsens.
* "Fear Factor" and "Dog Eat Dog" are huge hits for the peacock net.
* “The Mole 2,” yanked after three episodes last fall, has been ABC’s top rated show among adults 18-49 for weeks!
So if so many love the reality, why so much angry talkback? Could it be … some talkbackers are just too young for the genre? There are indications that a viewer is less likely to embrace a reality show if he or she is not yet out of high school. “Survivor” was among of the top five shows among adults 18-49 this season, alongside the likes of “Friends,” “ER” and “CSI.” But the top five for teens 12-17 include more cartoonish fare: “Malcolm in the Middle,” “The Simpsons” and “Greg the Bunny.”
Reality skeins offer unprecedented amounts of dramatic texture - and mesh well with a chaotic world view, where the meek frequently inherit nothing and evil is rewarded as often as good. Some not only watch “The Real World” each week, they watch the same episode two of three times within a matter of days.
Yes, we understand that reality shows are not real. We get that. But they’re more real than “Dawson’s Creek,” capice? So if you want to bitch about reality shows, knock yourself out. But don’t just say they’re boring. Just saying something’s boring is borning it itself. Get into the specific scenes or incidents you found boring why doncha? Or, you know, just watch one of the 90 other channels.
Bandwidth. Predictions. Reactions.
