On a given night thousands of Americans will sit on their couches in front of the T. and be a "voyeur,"" a spy essentially. What has become one of the most addictive programs today are such reality based shows as Survivor, Big Brother, and Joe Millionaire. These reality based shows are now the driving force of T.V. entertainment. As all the reality based shows share a formula that entices people everywhere to religiously engross themselves in other's lives, many questions have been raised. Such questions are asked as to the origins of reality based T.V. and which shows set the tone for the reality trend, what are the economics of creating the shows and most importantly, how reality based are these shows and why are people everywhere so attracted to and impacted by them?.
ORIGINS.
The first reality based show the American public was exposed to is the all enticing show "Cops."" This show aired in 1989 and captured first person footage of criminal activity and justice. What made this show popular was the up close footage of drug busts, drunken driving, weaponry use and the good old high speed chases along the bad guy good guy heists. The American public was given thrills and enrapturing entertainment that brought the usual soap opera drama to a new heightened level. Many people commented on the surreal feeling of being at the scene without leaving the comfort of their homes. The other formulaic attraction in the show is the good guys (cops) bringing the bad guys (criminals) to justice. It is a form of entertainment and of having an attached involvement in the scenes coupled with the instant gratification of watching justice being carried out, (CNN). This show has received consistent ratings throughout the years proving that some reality based T.V. shows can remain just as popular. This began a trend that morphed into the programs we have today. One can still watch cops on HBO.
Other popular reality based shows emerged as a result of the success of Cops.
