fleggett

I'm normally not a fan of reality TV. I don't watch Survivor, American Idol, Big Brother, or anything else of that ilk. For awhile there, it seemed that reality shows would devour traditional dramas and sitcoms, but fortunately they seem to be on the decline.

There's always an exception, though. For my family and I, it's been Over the Rainbow (OtR), a BBC production chaired by Andrew Lloyd Webber and hosted by Graham Norton. The series aired from March until late May on BBC One. Like American Idol, it featured a group of young hopefuls (all girls) looking to beat out the competition in order to win the prized spot of Dorothy in a West End production of The Wizard of Oz beginning in 2011.

Why OtR? We're all fans of the 1939 Victor Fleming directed production. When I read the series' synopsis, I figured I'd show it to my parents and they could watch it at their leisure, but I found myself getting quite hooked.

Some of the performances by these young girls have been sketchy, but a LOT have been exceptional. This was doubly impressive, as typical rehearsal time for a West End play is six weeks, yet these girls were doing fairly complex choreographed routines in front of a live audience with only a few days' worth of preparation.

While the "in show" performances were often excellent, where the girls really had to shine was in the dreaded sing-off, where the two lowest-ranked girls for that week (based on viewer call-in votes) had to sing in a duet fashion. Webber himself was the deciding judge, with the losing girl having to turn in her silver slippers and sing a final rendition of "Over the Rainbow" while being elevated away on a crescent moon (that's when the waterworks really started gushing amongst the surviving girls).

Anyway, my question is this - would you feel somewhat ashamed for supporting this type of programming? I began to feel a little grimy myself after awhile. One girl could barely control herself after losing and had to sing through choked tears. All these girls turned in fantastic performances and would have, in any other circumstance, earned a place on a professional stage. However, due to the show's stated goal - to find a headlining Dorothy - only one winner was allowed. The loser almost always lost due to millimeters in performance. One girl even lost her voice for a few days and had to see a throat specialist, but still delivered a solid performance. Another had severe auditory loss when younger and had only recently regained much of her hearing.

I tried to console myself with the thought that they all probably found a niche somewhere in English professional theatre, but given its cutthroat atmosphere, that's hardly a given.

The treatment foisted upon each losing girl seemed especially cruel - having to turn in her slippers and sing a final rendition of the classic Judy Garland song while being whisked away in front of God and everyone. It was, in its own way, cute in the beginning, but it more and more made me feel like a creepy voyeur instead of an engaged viewer.

And in case you're wondering, the girl who won was NOT my favorite. I can see why she won, but the girl for whom I was really cheering got booted halfway through.

I know I'm probably taking this too seriously. After all, it's not like I'm enjoying a Faces of Death video. However, I'm just not sure this is the sort of entertainment I want to say I liked.

Red Dog

Not usually. I did after Paradise Hotel though.

And I don't consider Survivor or Amazing Race 'reality tv.' They are essentially game shows.

extreme2700

Personally, I hate reality TV and can't wait for the fad to fade out. Will be nice to get some decent programming that I'll actually feel like watching. I mostly hate the played up emotional bullshit then the testimony thrown in with people either explaining the obvious, telling you they were pissed, or crying or maybe even a combo of these. They should probably call it unreality TV, they wouldn't act like that if they didn't know they were on TV.

rfduncan

Really? Just a few of the reality shows currently airing:

America's Funniest Home Videos
Amazing Race
American Chopper
American Idol
America's Got Talent
America's Most Wanted
America's Next Top Model
Antiques Roadshow
The Apprentice
The Bachelor
The Bachelorette
Bachelor Pad
Big Brother
Biggest Loser
Celebrity Rehab
Cops
Dancing With The Stars
Deadliest Catch
Denise Richards: It's Complicated
Dirty Jobs
Dr. 90120
Extreme Home Makeover
Ghost Hunters
The Girls Next Door
Hell's Kitchen
Holly's World
Jersey Shore
Judge Joe Brown
Judge Judy
Judge Mathis
Kate Plus Eight
Kathy Griffin - My Life On The D-List
Keeping up with the Kardashians
Kendra
Kitchen Nightmares
Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami
Last Comic Standing
Little People Big World
Losing It with Jillian
Miami Ink
Project Runway
Real Housewives
The Real World
So You Think You Can Dance
Survivor
The Hills
True Beauty
Tool Academy
Top Chef
Trading Spaces
Undercover Boss
Wife Swap
Wipe Out

That doesn't seem like a decline to ME!

extreme2700

Not sure America's Funniest Home Videos belongs on that list, isn't it just a clip show of people doing stupid things (and sometimes getting hurt doing those stupid things)? I haven't seen it for a while though, maybe they've changed the format.

Doesn't really seem to be on the decline to me either, though.

DRG

Considering Survivor has been on for 10 years now, The Real World for 18, and Cops for 21 - and given the fact that reality shows are the backbone of 75% of the cable channels, I think it has gone beyond 'fad' and is now a permanent fixture of the television landscape, like it or not.

superdeluxe

Nope, I don't feel ashamed whatsoever. a majority cable programming is some form of reality tv.

Eddie W

The only reality show that makes me feel dirty is Wipeout.

Yeah, people like to throw out the term 'reality tv', but in fact a good chunk of these shows are either talent competitions or game shows. Which have been staples of television since it's invention.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I'd much rather watch a guilty pleasure reality show like The Bachelor than yet another doctor/lawyer/cop procedural that seem to be all the networks can come up with.

Rob V

I had to laugh at the "fad" comment. It's not going anywhere because it's cheap, it's easy to produce / edit and it's the most popular genre on TV.

Double_Oh_7

Depends on the show. Survivor and Amazing Race are well made and entertaining. Top Chef is fun. I wouldn't in a million years watch any of the Real Houswives shows.

Draven

Yes, which is why I don't watch them.

I derive no pleasure from seeing people embarrassed, being mean to one another, or generally displaying the worst in people.

I think it's actually contributing to the general "nastiness" in this country that is so popular these days.

Boondock Saint

I work on them so no.

spainlinx0

That's why I do watch. Jersey Shore!

extreme2700

Welcome to one of the reasons our society is so fucked right now, "reality" television.

You're right though, it's not a fad at this point, but I pretty much loathe the fact that this shit is so fucking popular. I hate admitting that this lame programming isn't going off the air LOL

Bluelitespecial

Call it trashy all you want, but I am so ready for Big Brother to be back, starts July 8th.

Blu Man

Other then Big Brother, I hate reality shows. I probably only watch it because summer TV is horrible though.

Goat3001

Snookie?

overstatement of the week?

Red Dog

I figure someone made the same statement in 1966 when Gomer Pyle, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Green Acres were top-10 shows.

fleggett

That's just "a few"? Oh, dear.

I've never even heard of much of that list. When I said "declining in popularity", I meant that, for a time there, it looked like traditional programming was becoming an endangered species. Everywhere you turned was another reality show, even during prime time. That SEEMS to be reversing itself, but with so many channels from which to choose, I suppose it's inevitable a list of that size would emerge.

I know several of those shows are highly regarded (like Amazing Race and Deadliest Catch), but still, that's a frightening lineup.

fleggett

Neither do I. Even when it happens in a traditional show, it makes me highly embarrassed, sometimes to the point where I can't watch. I can only imagine the backstabbing and other unethical behavior many of these shows encourage amongst their participants, whether real or staged.

In the case of OtR, though, and probably American Idol, it really came down to each individual girl and the game she brought with her. And to that end, they all acquitted themselves remarkably, on live television no less, in front of a large studio audience, Webber, the three judges, their parents, etc. I recently learned where many, if not all, of the losing girls HAVE landed in "good places" wrt English theatre, so my guilt has been assuaged (somewhat).

If I may wax a bit, I by no means have seen many of these types of shows in which to compare, but I really couldn't find fault in the production values and execution of OtR. It was EXTREMELY slick, professional, breezy, genuinely emotional, and starred a group of highly talented and discrete girls. Plus, it was very respectful of the source material, especially to Judy Garland. You would have to've had a heart of stone not to've been affected, especially during the sing-offs and exits of the losing girls. If it dragged anywhere, it was searching for an appropriate Toto, but even that was handled fairly well.

And they did some truly outstanding things, such as bringing in a few professional stage singers and even Charlotte Church, who was one of the judges, lent her voice to one tune. They also brought back the entire roster of losing girls to sing in the finale, which was electric and VERY emotional.

If they made a sequel, I probably couldn't help myself and would be glued to the tube.

Anyway, I'm still not sure I care to support this sort of cutthroat programming, but I have to admit when done in the style of OtR, it's positively magnetic (no pun intended).

Boondock Saint

[QUOTE=Goat3001;10221017]Snookie?


Hahaha. No sir. I work in post production. Although I know plenty who worked on Jersey Shore.

coli

I can't stand reality shows, as it has signaled the decline in TV for me in the past 10 years. I think they will always be around because they are so cheap to produce. After the whole Friends and Seinfeld big salary disputes of the late 90's, TV executives got smart and realized that reality shows help the bottom line.

macnorton

To call most of these shows "reality" is mildly insulting. Survivor and American Idol are game shows, or so is my opinion. The other shows are unreality...meaning they happen in real places with real people but the situations are completely scripted. The Discover channel stuff may get a pass, because it does seem somewhat real (read Deadliest Catch).

However, I do watch Jersey Shore. I am watching for the reason of making fun of it, nothing more really. Sad part is, I don't need to watch the show to see idiot Guidos, all I have to do is walk out my front door and look at my neighbors or go to the local watering hole.

riley_dude

I can't watch these types of shows because they are the low of the low. I don't understand why people watch them.

al_bundy

The only real reality show is cops. Everything else is scripted.