How does Hill define reality TV? Describe his definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.

How does Hill define reality TV? Describe his definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.

Hill (2005) defines reality television as a mix of styles and formats that rely on prescribing ‘factual programming’. These styles include hand-held camera techniques, unscripted dialogue and nonprofessional actors and this all adds to the real-life quality that the audience believes or wants to believe is true (Hills, 2005). Reality television has focused on anything from food to people and pets. There are many different styles of reality television such as game shows (who wants to be a millionaire, the price is right), talk shows (the tonight show, the daily show), documentary (Cathy come home, Bear Grylls) and lifestyle (Martha Stewart). Hills (2005) states that reality television has changed and progressed over time and that the expansion of the genre has produced hybrids, for example the amazing race is a mix of documentary and game show. One of the many reasons that reality television has proved to be popular is because of the exposure of personal lives, this is especially relevant when looking at shows like the real housewives or keeping up with kardashians, with the real housewives the audience get to witness the drama and gossip between the woman and men that the show is centered on and the breakdown and making of new and old friendships and relationships. The real housewives have become a huge franchise that includes housewives from Beverly Hills, Orange County, and New York. The women of the show tend to be wealthy business owners who are mothers and housewives. The focus of the television series is on their personal and professional lives that are depicted through a documentary style that allows the audience to watch their lives. The entertainment value of housewives has a big demand for viewers, and a reason for this is that some viewers might find it hard to differentiate the difference between what’s real and what is being set up or dramatized.

References

Hill, A. (2005) The reality genre. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television (pp. 14 – 40). Oxon: Routledge.