Reality Television Will Soon Be The Only Thing To Watch
When the WGA writers’ strike started, it was clear that there would be no quick resolution since the 2007-2008 strike lasted for three months. This time though, it will get worse before it becomes better, as now the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) is preparing to strike. Put together, that means when the Fall television season starts, it’s going to be nothing but reality television.
Reality television will dominate television this Fall because it’s cheap to produce, and hasn’t stopped with the writers’ strike.
With no writers available for network television pilot season, there’s no opportunity for new shows to be picked up for the Fall. Even existing shows will have few if any, episodes stored for the next season since part of the strike means writers can’t even do script touch-ups. This is going to impact everything on television and streaming.
Jeopardy! has been going with new episodes for the last few months because of the strenuous taping schedule, but the end is in sight. The game show uses WGA writers for the clues, and with none of them able to work, even that syndicated stalwart will be forced to air reruns.
Reality television includes cheap celebrity game shows, and Rob Dyrdek’s clip show, Ridiculousness.
When television networks needed cheap programming over the last few years, they either expanded reality television offerings, bringing us such hits as Claim to Fame and Next Level Chef (the latest Gordon Ramsey cooking competition) or celebrity game shows. Ellen was given a showcase for the game segments from her talk show, while Kevin Hart hosted Celebrity Game Face, a show about famous couples playing games from their own homes.
These shows are cheap to make as they don’t use big-name actors on a weekly basis, or writers, which is why reality television can still be produced during the WGA writers’ strike.
Some don’t even have directors or crew, with MTV’s College Life entirely filmed by giving University of Wisconsin students video cameras. Sure, it wasn’t a hit when it debuted after the last writer’s strike in 2009, but for a show that cost almost nothing, it still brought in nearly 2 million viewers.
Ever wonder why the channel, once known for music videos, is now dominated by Rob Dyrdek and Ridiculousness? It’s cheap. CBS didn’t decide to add an extra 30 minutes to every episode of Survivor because the long-running show is finally hitting its stride.
In total, the major broadcast networks, NBC, ABC, CBS, and most cable networks, have already pivoted to the reality television format. The profit margin from shows like Naked and Afraid or American Pickers is why when Discovery merged with Warner Bros., it was Discovery that started calling the shots. Prestige television on HBO is great for critics and fans, but it loses financially to the raw power of Fixer Upper.
New entries in massive reality television franchises provide cheap shows with a built-in audience, such as the Real Housewives, The Bachelor, and 90 Day Fiancee.
With a pilot season marred by the WGA strike and soon the actors’ strike, cheap, expendable programming is going to dominate the airwaves more than it does even now. How many spin-offs of 90-Day Fiancee are possible? Can American Ninja Warrior be merged with anything?
The world may soon know as each day that passes without an end to the labor issues tearing Hollywood apart is one less day that it’s possible to get any more shows, or even movies, off the ground.
Right now, movies have been largely immune to the strikes as there are blockbusters already in post-production or able to start shooting without script changes, but even that will run out.
And when it does, the Real Housewives of Terra Haute will be here to save us.
