Step in the Ring

In response to Reality TV vs. Sitcoms

by Jenni Robison

Ahhhh, TV. There’s nothing like turning on the box and receiving instant gratification and emotional involvement. What a great way to spend a couple hours during my evening! There is just so much on TV today, you have to be a really boring person not to find something that suits you.

I like sitcoms; they have a cozy charm and welcome predictability. I know exactly how the actors are going to act, I know how much I will laugh, and I know that if I miss a show it really doesn’t matter. And reruns are OK, too. (Especially if you are a Seinfeld fan. I still watch it almost every night.) Reality TV, though, is anyone’s guess.

Photograph by Dean (leu). Some rights reserved.

I love reality TV because of its “plot” unpredictability. You have no idea if, when, or how things may happen. A reality show is totally up those the executives have chosen to entertain us. I also enjoy reality TV because I love learning about new people. I love watching new relationships form. Watching reality shows has actually taught me something about myself, too: I have learned that like it when everybody gets along. Unfortunately for me the producers of most reality shows don’t agree. And that brings me to my reality TV complaint: the formula.

Reality shows have become formulaic. They purposely select people who will have explosive chemistry (in the most negative sense). For example, I just finished watching Survivor China and it’s undeniable that we have the same range of “characters” on every show. I don’t think there is anything fundamentally wrong with that, but it gets a little boring. My husband, a comedic genius, suggested they have a show with all strong men or all elderly people or all…well you get the idea.

Despite the formulaic pitfall I definitely pick reality shows over scripted ones, ten to one. I watch those for my evening entertainment—laughing, crying, yelling, and puzzling—and not have a single worry about missing a new episode of According to Jim. But, if I am up late at night, I’ll put on a rerun of one of my old favorite sitcoms. Since I’ve seen them before the characters may be just as familiar as the stereotypes we have on reality TV, but following the course of their lives in cherished sitcoms is comforting.

Jenni Robison, writer. jennirr@gmail.com

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