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Jersey Shore

No one cares about Jersey Shore any more

by Andy Dehnart 9 Dec. 2012 | 9:31 pm

Jersey Shore ends forever in 10 days, on Dec. 20, three years and 17 days after it debuted to controversy and low ratings in 2009. In the NEw York Times today, the cast members reflect on their experience, but they may be the only ones who care.

That’s because the show is back to where it began, at least with its ratings: the episode that aired a week ago Thursday was watched by “only 2.4 million total viewers, barely half as many as the 4.7 million who watched the Season 6 premiere on Oct. 4,” The New York Times reports, adding that the viewership was “the lowest total for the series since the first season, when the Dec. 17, 2009, episode drew 2.5 million.”

Consider that in August 2011, the show debuted to 8.8 million viewers, that’s a pretty huge plunge. More importantly, is anyone talking about the show or its cast in the same way any more? MTV’s decision to cancel the show seems like a smart one.

As it rocketed to popularity, and because of its popularity, the show also became an increasingly inauthentic “farce”, and that’s the opposite of what drew people to it in the first place.

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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about reality blurred

reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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