Television and Cable Topics

Are reality shows real? They are labeled as so, and the whole point of them is to depict 'real' people facing 'real' situations. I feel that reality shows are only real to a certain extent. The people are really new-comers from different states and have never worked with each other before, and the tasks or whatever is given to them is real. However, I feel that the producers of the shows feed off of any small hint of emotion and steer the cast into creating certain story lines. For example, on MTV's Real World, it feels like they cut parts of the film in order to give the audience a certain perspective on people on the show and advise the cast members to either act on any slight animosity or attraction towards other cast members in order to make the show more interesting. So in short, I feel that reality shows begin real, but become sculpted after going through various editing. I also feel that the producers ask cast members to do certain things in order to create interesting story lines.
I used to love a show called Recess which used to come on channel nine on school and Saturday mornings. It was a Disney show but it also showed on UPN. It was a cartoon about six friends and elementary school life, mostly revolving around and taking place during recess. I'd look forward to it every morning. I just love that show: all the characters, the animation, and the situations they get themselves into. Although a little exaggerated, I could relate to many of the things happening on the show which made it even more entertainable. still watch it to this day on the internet or On Demand, and I am currently trying to find dvd box sets for it.
An awful show that remains on television in my opinion is Parental Control on MTV (although most of the new reality shows on MTV are pretty bad). The whole concept is for the parents of either a boy or a girl to find a new boyfriend/girlfriend for their child, since the child's current boyfriend/girlfriend is supposedly unbearable. The child then dates one choice from the mom and the dad, then at the end decides who to keep. The mom, dad, and current boy/girlfriend watch the all the dates.While its supposed to be a reality show, everyone on it seems so ridiculously scripted that it's unbearable for me to watch.