Un-reality TV

c. June 2010


My approach to ‘bad TV’ is similar to my approach to dietary indulgences.  Every now and then, I treat myself to a small taste so I don’t feel deprived and binge.  That means I’ll stop at Chick-Fil-A for an original crispy sandwich once every month and a half or so and, in that same vein, I devote about one hour a week to some trashy TV.
We all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to TV; shows we’ll talk about with our friends but wouldn’t bring up while having lunch with the boss.
Such indulgences could include Desperate Housewives, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jersey Shore, anything featuring Pauly Shore. . . but with some guilty pleasures, especially those in the genre of reality TV, the pleasure can come to an abrupt end and leave us with guilt alone.
If you wonder where sexting came from, why some kids are such bullies that their victims escape the torment with suicide or how in the world a thirteen-year-old even knew the C-word, look no further than reality TV.
There are plenty of bad apples in the bunch (and good ones too), but let’s look at The Real Housewives of New Jersey.  The show, a voyeuristic escapade at best, is one that I got sucked into and, for the most part, have not felt too guilty about watching.  Recently, the show has devolved into a chronicle of apparent mental illness, bad behavior and bullying.
One ‘wife’ has a sex tape out, another faces bankruptcy and they all use language that could make a sailor blush as they rehash petty slights to grow mountains where there wasn’t even a molehill.
Believe me when I say I don’t think these shows are intended to provide role models. I’m not naïve enough to think they’re actually real. I do, however, think it’s gross and depressing that a show centering on family, even in the most superficial way, has devolved into such a hot mess.

Do I think the housewives, or reality TV in general, are to blame for all of society’s ills?  Of course not, but it certainly isn’t helping. Like all train wrecks, The Real Housewives series may be hard to avoid, but I’m canceling my season pass.
Have you been turned off by a guilty TV pleasure you formerly enjoyed? Any suggestions for a replacement guilty pleasure to fill the void in my DVR?  Preferably something that won’t make me want to shower after watching…