Reality TV is now clearly less a trend than a fixture: These programs are what variety shows were to the 1970s, a genre capacious enough to include, in the latter instance, the sad antics of The Captain and Tennille; Donny and Marie's blazing rock versus country battle, and the mere notion that Harvey Korman was a major comedic talent.
Lynn Crosbie, "Return of the short-fingered vulgarian"
Thanks to Kathy Shaidle for pointing out this review.
Reality teevee is a stark reminder that with the explosion of every sub-specialty cable network in Christendom, the gene pool of creative talent to produce, write, film, and act in comedies and dramas is getting increasingly thin. Five years ago, the traditional networks tried to cover up for this fact with news magazine shows- cheaper to produce than a series pilot. A trend that flamed out by overexposure. Now it's Every HalfWit Publicity Hog Under The Sun. Only Fox has the hardcore ability to get it right consistently. Or CBS with the Survivor franchise. CBS also smart enough to commission another CSI series this fall, happening in Nueva York. Like the Law And Order brand at NBC. Beats legitimate risk-taking- the kind necessary to maintain any enterprise.
Posted by: Gerard E. | January 21, 2004 at 08:58 AM
Not to beat topic into ground- as networks will since nothing succeeds like success. But Ms. Crosbie's appraisal was one of the five best critiques of teevee/moon pitchas/anything of type ever read by your humble scibbler As a lamenting fan of the old Spy magazine, warmed my cynical heart to see the phrase 'short-fingered vulgarian' again. Even if the editors used Spy as a vehicle to become exactly the people they satirized.
Posted by: Gerard E. | January 21, 2004 at 11:05 AM