Reality TV: A New Beginning for Television

Reality TV: A New Beginning for Television
“Reality Television.” That has become such a widely known phrase in America in the past few years. People are going crazy for this “new” wave of television programming known as “reality TV.” What most people don’t realize is that reality television has actually been around for many years and it is an important part of our popular culture. The oldest “reality” show is Candid Camera and it dates back to 1948. It is considered reality because it catches “people in the act of being themselves” (Rowen). In 1973 another type of reality show came about that is similar to many of the reality shows that we see today; it was a type of “Family drama.” The show’s name was An American Family; and, it was an inspiration for today’s Real World. Crime reality shows, such as Cops and America’s Most Wanted have also been popular for quite a while (since the mid to late 80’s). There was actually a crime reality show t...