The Triumph of Reality TV: The Revolution in American Television

by Leigh H. Edwards

Overview

This book provides an up-to-date account of how reality TV has developed, why it has become the most popular genre on television today, and how the explosion in reality TV signals new developments in American media culture.

The reasons behind reality TV's continued popularity go beyond the sensationalism and low production cost of these programs: there is much more to the genre's continued success than just escapism or "guilty pleasure" TV. The Triumph of Reality TV: The Revolution in American Television identifies and explores five key media trends reality TV has used to continually draw in viewers and ensure success. These media trends include innovations in storytelling, making emotional appeals to viewers, and applying content from television to other media such as films, music albums, webisodes, online games, and smart phone apps.

Author Leigh H. Edwards also analyzes how reality TV shows target themes of social conflict, such as changing ideas of the American family, and address common anxieties and tensions in American society such as gender, race, class, and economic struggle. A wide variety of reality shows—including American Idol, Celebrity Rehab, Jackass, Run's House, Survivor, and The Hills—are profiled. An appealing read for students, scholars, and general readers alike, this book provides fascinating insights into the complexities of a seemingly simplistic form of mass entertainment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313399015
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/09/2013
Pages:	199
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Leigh H. Edwards, PhD, is associate professor of English at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction: Keeping It Real-Reality TV's Evolution 1

1 Choose Your Own Adventure: Transmedia Storytelling, Reality Characters, and Fans 17

2 Mashup: Hybrid Genres and Emotional Appeals 47

3 Picturing Social Change: Reality TV's Family Circus 87

4 Family Values Debates: The Politics of the Family 113

5 Wife Swap: Gender Wars 141

Conclusion: The Futures of Reality TV 177

Selected Bibliography 185

Index 191

What People are Saying About This

Dr. Brian Cogan is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communications at Molloy Co

"In her new, and crucial, addition to the critical analysis of reality television, Edwards has not only broken new ground in television studies, but has finally put 'reality' television into the political and social context that has eluded other scholars for the last decade. The Triumph of Reality TV: The Revolution in American Television not only cogently analyzes how limited the word 'television' is to describe the modern multi-platform viewing experience, but also how the new 'narrative universe' of reality television attracts a distinctly active audience. In an unusually evocative chapter, Edwards points out one of the most important factors involving reality television today, 'how reality television both reflects and helps shape changing American family ideals,' an often overlooked aspect of reality television. By analyzing how much of reality television programming is analogous to our current debates about the changing nature of family in America, Edwards points out the ways in which the modern American family is constructed, both on-screen and off. Most importantly, by pointing out that the much-maligned genre 'does not simply reflect current beliefs and debates in a society, but helps to shape them,' Edwards tellingly points out that we dismiss reality television's importance at our peril."

Editorial Reviews

Her brief yet well-researched study focuses on the genre's portrayal of family. . . . Edwards focuses her research on popular culture and media studies. This, her third book on pop culture, would be good for advanced high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and armchair media scholars. Summing Up: Recommended.” —Choice

From the Publisher