Reality Shows

[ShyViolet]

I'm sorry to say I don't care for reality shows. Never have, never will.


I do like documentaries however, like the HBO ones. I like stuff on the history channel, but I guess that doesn't really count as "reality TV" in the same way.


Stuff that has respect for the people depicted. I've never seen a reality show that does that. (I know a lot of people like them and I don't mean to put down anyone's feeling--it's just what I think.)

It's not only that, they just BORE me to tears. What is so fascinating about "watching people do stuff"? You can do that without TV!!


Also, speaking of "bad" TV, or at least mediocre, (not reality though) does anyone remember this show at all? It was a good show for its time (especially the first season) but now it sort of feels dated. Wish they'd release it on DVD, though.




It has kind of a surrealistic vibe to it (at least it did in the beginning) because it was purposely channeling Ferris Beauller.

[GeorgeC]

In general, I HATE reality TV. It plays up the worst aspects of mugging for cameras and airing generally stupid human behavior.

On the other hand, I DO have an affection for documentary series and anything that has educational value. It's not that I'm anti-entertainment but I've never cared for Survivor, Big Brother, Jersey Shore, or American Idol. I've never been able to watch more than a few minutes of those shows without feeling my IQ drop.... and I like some shows that are intentionally dumb! ( => Big Fan of Spongebob...)

Reality TV that I do like =>
a) Pawn Stars, History Channel -> the most interesting antiquing/pawning series I've seen on TV... Definitely unique and at its worst plays like American Choppers on a calm day. This family's arguments have nothing on the Teutuls...
b) Forensic Files, truTV => you cannot escape from the long arm of the law if the cops are doing their job right... you WILL screw up and leave evidence behind
c) Dominic Dunne: Power, Privilege, and Justice, truTV => a good lawyer and sizable bank account will get people off 3 out of 4 times... Series concluded and in repeat heaven since the host/namesake died this past year; RIP, Dominic Dunne
d) American Choppers to an extent.... although watching that family disintegrate on TV gets to be grating...
e) The Investigators, truTV => see b)
f) Masterminds, truTV => more international focus; interesting to see how cops overseas deal with perplexing crime scenes

[eddievalient]

I can't stand American Idol because the "music" on that show doesn't sound like real music. It sounds like lame wannabes pretending to do music and failing (which is exactly what it is). However, I've always liked America's Got Talent because not only are the singers better, but you see a wide variety of astonishing acts that you'd never see on other shows. Here's my two favorite acts from the current season, Alice Tan Ridley and Arc Attack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95KWbaluKT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBx2wkg9nhk

[Daniel]

I like America's Got Talent too, even a little more this season with Howie as a new judge. (Now if only they could get rid of Sharon!)

I'm personally rooting for "Fighting Gravity". Wow factor indeed! I also kind of like "Prince Poppycock". He's fun to watch.

[Whippet Angel]

I enjoy Pawn Stars as well. Other History Channel favorites include American Pickers (I LOVE this show, and the whole "treasure hunting" aspect of it) and Ice Road Truckers.

[eddievalient]

I think it would be kind of neat to see a show about a geek roaming the country in search of memorabilia (rare comics, movie props, autographs, etc). At the end, they could auction it all for charity. The Hero Initiative, perhaps.

[GeorgeC]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/enterta ... mber-.html

The History Channel audience grew by 35% this year...!

Probably due in large part to Pawn Stars. I don't care for most of their other reality TV shows besides American Pickers and American Restoration.

I haven't liked Brad Meltzer's Decoded since it debuted and have stayed away it. It's mostly another conspiracy theories show and even one other show (Jesse Ventura's TV series, Conspiracy) is just too much. This is TV for people who believe in all the gossip and tabloid shows and don't understand conspiracy theorists are there to make a quick buck. Very little of what they say is anything but hearsay from paranoid nuts and they generally don't do anything to test pet theories. Big pass from me on what is essentially a waste of time and good only for people who believe in JFK Conspiracies, the Da Vinci Code, and all that other nonsense which has little basis in reality.

[James]

American Pickers is my favorite right now, with Pawn Stars not too far behind. What makes Pickers work is the people. Switch them out and do everything else the same and it probably doesn't work.

Decoded had potential but is too badly scripted. The one episode I watched they made a big deal out of some new fact they discovered in a case -- which had actually been known for some time. But I guess they thought it made for more exciting TV to say they just discovered it.

Eddie, there's a show similar to your idea on now that's pretty good called Hollywood Treasure. Recent episodes had them going after the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, looking for the yellow brick road, finding Mary Poppins' bag, selling model planes from the original King Kong, etc... Lots of cool stuff! It's on Syfy. THe website has several episodes available for free viewing: http://www.syfy.com/hollywoodtreasure/

[GeorgeC]

I've seen a bit of Hollywood Treasure, too.

It illustrates if anything a couple of realities about auctions --
a) DON'T expect to become rich off of selling your movie memorabilia such as props and production artwork... The market is very unpredictable and a lot of things influence sales such as the general economy, perceived value of items by bidders, and the cool/'it' factor of the items being auctioned.
A couple of years ago, before the recent Star Trek movie, interest in the series/franchise was at an all-time low. There was an auction by Paramount of the surviving Star Trek items in its warehouses/storage facilities. While many of the items sold well above expectations -- such as cast costumes --, quite a high-end items such as a few of the significant Hero model miniatures sold for well below expectations. In a better year, some of the screen-used miniatures could have sold for twice or more what they did at auction in 2006.

b) Don't buy completely into auctioneer estimates... Be prepared for items to sell at low end or even below estimates. Not everything is as iconic as Dorothy's ruby slippers or Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets. While it's easy to say that anything over 30 years IS iconic, that movie or TV series that you love may not be popular with everyone else.
Also, personalities that are major stars now may be not may be remembered much in years to come. It can be hard to predict who will have a long career and be remembered fondly.
For instance, Bela Lugosi is considered collectible for his horror film roles but was not the biggest star of his era... There were considerably wealthier and better-regarded actors in his prime. Lugosi's appeal has survived past many of his contemporaries because he carved an indelible screen image as vampires and madmen. Many of his contemporaries did dramas that have not withstood the test of time as well as the horror films of the 1930s and 1940s.
A screen-used Lugosi costume or even just a piece of an outfit -- such as Dracula's cape -- is worth far more than a pipe smoked onscreen by a more "mainstream" A-list actor. There are just some things that become more iconic and reflective of a time period than others.