Why There Is Likely To Be Less Reality TV This Fall
Reality TV comes in lots of different forms, from competitive shows like Big Brother and Survivor, to celebrity shows like Dancing With The Stars, and from shows about the dramas of people with unusual jobs like The Deadliest Catch, to shows about the Kardashians. Most people enjoy at least some reality TV, whether it is the more serious stuff like The Amazing Race or The Apprentice, or the trashier stuff like Jersey Shore or The Bachelor. Whether you are watching for information or mindless entertainment, you can usually find a show that will appeal in this genre, and some channels create very little other than reality programming.
photo/동철 이 aka Funnytools
However, when it comes to prime time, especially in the fall seasons, it seems that less and less time is being devoted to reality shows on the major networks.
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Drop in Reality Shows in Fall 2016
In fall 2016, several of the shows expected to air as they usually do in the fall season, including America’s Next Top Model and The Amazing Race, were not shown, and of 87 prime time broadcasting hours a week on the major networks during that season, only 9 were given to reality shows – 3 hours of those being just The Voice. It is thought that aside from safe bet shows like The Voice, reality TV will again be a small factor in what is shown in fall 2017.
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Why Most Reality Shows Air in Summer
The drop in fall reality TV isn’t as indicative as you might think of a drop in popularity for the genre as a whole. In fact, it seems more that what is happening is the gap between what audiences want in the summer and fall seasons is growing. Summer has for over a decade now been when most reality shows debut and gain traction, and it seems that we have become accustomed to reality TV filling the more frivolous summer months, with more serious scripted drama being the main feature in the fall.
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Only Big Brand Reality Shows Affected
Of course, only the household names seem to be affected by these changes in taste, as the smaller and more niche reality programming tends to appear on channels that specialize, or at least show an awful lot of reality shows. New concepts for reality shows are tested out all the time, and formats that involve following different people in different careers seem to be very popular at the moment. Shows with a less competitive theme to them that look at the more ‘real’ parts of other people’s lifestyles seem to be doing well, for example My Hollywood, a show produced by actor Michael David Palance that covers people attempting to make it big in showbusiness. Without the talent show aspect or other competitive elements, Michael Palance is able to let this show focus on the real journeys of the people involved.
Whether you are a reality fan or not, it is interesting to see trends in TV, and consider why networks are no longer taking many risks when it comes to new fall reality offerings.
Author: Lolita Di
