The Triumph of Reality TV: The Revolution in American Television

209 Pages·2013·1.567 MB·English

by  Leigh H. Edwards

THE TRIUMPH
OF REALITY TV

THE TRIUMPH
OF REALITY TV
The Revolution in
American Television
Leigh H. Edwards
Copyright 2013 by Leigh H. Edwards
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a
review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Edwards, Leigh H., 1970–
The triumph of reality tv : the revolution in American television / Leigh H. Edwards.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-313-39901-5 (hardcopy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-313-39902-2
(ebook) 1. Reality television programs—United States—History and
criticism. I. Title.
PN1992.8.R43E49 2013
791.45'655—dc23 2012031863
ISBN: 978-0-313-39901-5
EISBN: 978-0-313-39902-2
17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: Keeping It Real—Reality TV’s Evolution 1
1. Choose Your Own Adventure: Transmedia
Storytelling, Reality Characters, and Fans 17
2. Mashup: Hybrid Genres and Emotional Appeals 47
3. Picturing Social Change: Reality TV’s Family Circus 87
4. Family Values Debates: The Politics of the Family 113
5. Wife Swap: Gender Wars 141
Conclusion: The Futures of Reality TV 177
Selected Bibliography 185
Index 191

Acknowledgments
In writing about the importance of popular culture and media studies, I
am grateful to supportive colleagues who also believe deeply in this kind
of work. Many thanks to the good folks at Praeger/ABC-CLIO, especially
James Sherman, and Dan Harmon before him. A hearty thank you to col-
leagues for feedback and discussion over the years, especially Bob Batch-
elor, Cindy Fuchs, Jennifer Proffitt, Andrew Epstein, Meegan Kennedy,
Nancy Warren, Darryl Dickson-Carr, Elaine Treharne, Kathi Yancey, David
Kirby, Barbara Hamby, Jerrilyn McGregory, Ned Stuckey-French, Elizabeth
Stuckey-French, Paul Outka, Michael Neal, Amit Rai, Chris Shinn, David
Johnson, and David Vann. Thanks also to friends for their discussion and
support, including Chris Goff, Brian Ammons, Patricia Thomas, Tatianna
Flores, James Mitchell, Katie Conrad, Vall Richard, Bev Bower, Ann Duran,
Cindy Michaelson, Vickie Lake, Maria Fernandez, Monica Hurdal, Jack
Clifford, Fayanne Farabee, Pam Flynn, Feli Wilhelmy, Janet Dilling, Julie
Relin, Michael Todd, Lori DiGuglielmo, Karen Barnett. A big thank you for
support and good wishes from family, including my sister Ashley Carothers
Edwards, Kim Hinckley, NancyAnne Carothers, Allison Carothers, Brittney
Carothers Harvey, JuliaAnne Carothers Harvey, Melissa Anne Carothers
Moon and family, Charles Graham Carothers, Jr., Sarah Jane Carothers,
Milton Washington Carothers II, Theresa Loper and family, Karen
Campbell Frank, Melanie Joyner and family. I dedicate this book to my
parents, Steve Edwards, Jr. and Helen Carothers Edwards.
My thanks also to colleagues at conferences where I have presented
this work (including FLOW, Console-ing Passions, American Studies As-
sociation, Modern Language Association, Popular Culture Association).
Portions of this work have appeared in different form in some of my
published articles and reviews, including: Leigh H. Edwards, “Transmedia
Storytelling, Corporate Synergy, and Audience Expression,” G lobal Media
Journal 12, no. 20 (Spring 2012); “Reality TV and the New American
Family,” Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream, ed. Bob
viii Acknowledgments
Batchelor (Praeger, 2012), 263–278; “Reality TV and the American Family,”
The Tube Has Spoken: Reality TV and History, eds. Julie Taddeo and Ken
Dvorak (University Press of Kentucky, 2010), 123–145; “The Endless End
of Frontier Mythology: PBS’s F rontier House ,” Film & History: An Inter-
disciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies 37, no. 1 (2007): 29–34;
“Chasing the Real: Reality Television and Documentary Forms,” D ocufic-
tions: Essays on the Intersection of Documentary and Fictional Filmmaking,
eds. Gary D. Rhodes and John Parris Springer (McFarland Press, 2006),
253–269; “ ‘What a Girl Wants’: Gender Norming on Reality Game Shows,”
Feminist Media Studies 4, no. 2 (Summer 2004): 226–228; “British Nanny
Invasion: Review of S upernanny ,” PopMatters , March 28, 2005, http://www.
popmatters.com/pm/review/supernanny-2005/; “Good One: Review of
Meet Mr. Mom ,” PopMatters , August 2, 2005, http://www.popmatters.com/
pm/review/meet-mr-mom-050802; “Identity Props: Review of W ife Swap ,”
PopMatters , October 11, 2004, http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/
wife-swap-2004.
Introduction:
Keeping It Real—
Reality TV’s Evolution
Once considered a fad or copycat genre, reality TV now dominates Ameri-
can television programming and has become a lasting staple. Established
franchises such as A merican Idol or Dancing With the Stars top the ratings.
American Idol has been the highest-rated show on television each year since
2003, averaging over 20 million viewers, while Dancing With the Stars is
among the top five shows in Nielsen ratings, averaging over 18 million
viewers. 1 Meanwhile, newer shows of the moment, such as Keeping Up with
the Kardashians, become buzzed-about phenomena and generate spin-offs.
Why has reality TV continued to gain popularity? While the sensational-
ism and low production cost of these programs are obvious factors, there
is nevertheless more to the story of the genre’s continued success than just
escapism or guilty pleasure cheap TV. Reality shows are also surviving be-
cause they are at the forefront of new and innovative media developments.
This book explains how reality TV has gained greater popularity by
capitalizing on recent media trends, including new directions in storytell-
ing, emotional appeals to audiences, and taking content from TV to other
media platforms (with features such as smart phone applications and on-
line videos). I argue that a second main factor in reality TV’s success is how
it powerfully portrays major anxieties of the era, be it fears of the rapidly
evolving media landscape (such as how digital media is affecting American
culture and society), or tensions about basic social units like the Ameri-
can family. Reality programs capture touchstone issues and emphasize
their conflict and drama, grabbing viewer attention and fanning anxieties.
Taken together, these two factors help account for the genre’s surprising
success and survival.