Of the true crime, murder-mystery, pulpy shows that air on Investigation Discovery, there’s a bit of an aberration, a series that gets its name from one of the most respected institutions in journalism: Vanity Fair Confidential. The show draws its stories from the pages and archives of Vanity Fair, which are adapted and added to for the television screen by… continue reading
other shows
Doug Llewelyn is back on The People’s Court starting today
Doug Llewelyn, the original reporter on The People’s Court returns to the syndicated show today, for the 20th season of its post-Judge Wapner life.
Review: The Sex Factor, an awful reality competition
A review of XHamster’s reality competition series The Sex Factor, which is so badly produced, it makes free online porn seem like high art by comparison.
On Thanksgiving, a reality TV sensation arrives in the U.S.
An international reality TV sensation arrives in the United States on Thanksgiving day. For five hours—five! 10 if you count the immediate repeat—tomorrow, you can experience slow TV, watching a train travel 500 miles through Alaska on Railroad Alaska: Real Time Train Ride. Real Time Train Ride airs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET, and then again… continue reading
America’s Funniest Home Videos’ schadenfreude is 25 years old today
A quarter of a century ago today, ABC debuted a pre-reality series that featured a man getting hit in the balls by his kid, and the world has never been the same. America’s Funniest Home Videos–now known as AFV, because what is a home video–is a show I loved and watched back in the Bob… continue reading
Summer Break: teenagers’ social media narcissism becomes social media-only reality show
A new reality show started airing this week: Summer Break follows nine pre-college, Los Angeles-area teeenagers. The catch is that the show exists only on social media, and will consist entirely of brief daily episodes and slightly less brief weekly videos that are professionally shot and edited, but will also may incorporate the endless real-time… continue reading
Remember Cannonball Run? Nobody else seems to
Thursday night, USA Network debuts The Moment, a reality series starring NFL player Kurt Warner. The network’s press release calls it “USA Network’s new original reality series” that “follows the dramatic journeys of nine lucky individuals who are given a second shot at pursuing their dream career.” In their reporting on the show, however, several… continue reading
Behind-the-scenes of Bomb Patrol Afghanistan, reunion ends this season of G4’s exceptional series
Late last fall, G4, the TV network ostensibly about gaming, added a new reality series to its roster of original reality shows, which primarily consists of COPS knock-off Campus PD and American Ninja Warrior. The new series doesn’t seem to fit amid the reruns of Cheaters, but instead is one you could imagine Discovery airing,… continue reading
A show that actually exists: Bikini Barbershop: Jersey, which is more horrifying than it sounds
Survivor‘s Rob Cesternino had me as a guest on his podcast Friday, despite the fact that I’d partially lost my normally awkward voice, and despite the fact that I repeatedly referenced pooping in a bucket. Anyway, in the later part of our conversation, he dropped a bombshell: There’s a reality TV show called Bikini Barbershop:… continue reading
Morgan Spurlock’s reality show about failure, rejected by networks, debuts on Yahoo
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock has a new reality series focusing on failure, and it debuted today on Yahoo! The first episode, which is basically an introduction to the concept, is now online, and in it, he says that a group of seven people are “going to help each other go after the things we’ve always… continue reading
TechStars: a fascinating series following start-up companies and their creators
Bloomberg TV isn’t exactly a place I ever expected to look for a compelling reality TV show, but it’s the home of a recently completed series: TechStars, which is named after the organization it follows. The show follows a real-life process, as TechStars has been funding and mentoring new start-ups since 2006; it says it… continue reading
An Idiot Abroad: Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervais send Karl Pilkington around the world
A UK reality series debuting on the Science Channel tonight sends The Office and Extras creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s radio producer, podcasting partner, and object of ridicule Karl Pilkington to tour the seven wonders of the world. The UK series An Idiot Abroad debuts tonight in the US at 10 p.m. ET is… continue reading
TV Guide no longer knows what’s on its own channel, announces new docu-soap series
TV Guide, the magazine once know for actually informing us about what was on TV, has forgotten what aired on its own channel just three years ago. It announced today on its web site that TV Guide Network “has green-lit its first original reality series.” The problem is that the network already aired an original… continue reading
Men will compete to become Ken, Barbie’s “ultimate boyfriend for every occasion”
An online reality series will be a competition between men who think they are the living embodiment of Ken, Barbie’s genital-less plastic boyfriend. Perhaps because she has a history with plastic men, The City‘s Whitney Port will host the series. Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend will air on Hulu starting Jan…. continue reading
Amazing Race producers working on Real Cannonball Run-like online series for Ford
One of my favorite reality competitions of all time, The Real Cannonball Run 2001, has all but been forgotten. But now, the producers of The Amazing Race, Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, are producing an online, corporate-sponsored series that will be a similar but real-time race across the country between teams of two people…. continue reading