The Soap Opera and Reality Show Debate

One of the biggest discussions about television in the last decade is how reality programming is hurting scripted fare, like soap operas. So I wanted to go through a list of things to see where my feelings fall on this topic.

Admittedly I enjoy unscripted programming. Not all of it obviously, but I see it as complimenting the other programming I do watch. For me it isn’t an either/or situation. Perhaps the problem is that some stations are choosing to invest money in unscripted fare instead of producing new scripted television. Since unscripted programming tends to be cheaper, if it fails there is a lot smaller loss, but if it succeeds the win is multiplied.
 
For the purpose of this blog I am going to define my terms of what I see as reality programming.
 

1. Competition shows – These can be anything from a variety show with a voting element like American Idol, a game show variant like Survivor or Big Brother where people are taped for weeks and not only competitions matter to decide ones fate in the game, to a skilled competition show like Project Runway or Top Chef. At the end of the series, a winner is announced and that person may use their prize to advance their career.


2. Documentary Shows – When people call these shows reality shows I bristle as some are more like an extended news magazine. Following around people doing their jobs like 48 Hours on A&E is not what I consider a reality show. Something like America’s Most Wanted is not a true reality show. Neither is something like Nova on PBS or any documentary by Ken Burns. A lot of these are educational in nature.


3. How to Shows – This genre teaches the audience to do something. It could be a show on HGTV or Food Network, or a program about teaching a skill like hunting or fishing.


4. Docusoaps – These are the cousin of the documentary show. I’m not even sure if docusoap is the correct term. They follow people and supposedly what we see is real. It is possible that things have been exaggerated for the sake of ratings or scenarios are created to make things more interesting. Like The Real World, people put in a house and we see them live their lives. Let’s follow a family, see what happens and if it is scandalous that’s awesome.


5. Dating Shows/Relationship shows – In the past, these were not called reality shows, but now fall under this category. It is weird as years ago dating shows were seen as game shows – like The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and Studs. A show like The Bachelor is just a variant with a much bigger budget.

The competition reality shows really aren’t competition for soap operas. They have yet to try a daytime reality show with a competition element though some talk shows have done talent contests like Oprah. Some of these may be rerun during the day in marathons, but considering most a few months at a time, they shouldn’t be a factor to daytime. In prime time, these shows are some of the highest rated and have hurt development of new scripted series. Documentary shows shouldn’t compete with soaps either as they are so different. How to shows do air during the day against soaps, and some people choose to watch them instead. Many of these shows target women, so they could be a factor (even Marlena talks about watching them these days.) They don’t really have a place on network television.

If someone is looking for romance watching a reality show, only the docusoaps and the dating shows really are direct competition for soaps. Competitive reality shows on occasion have “showmances”, but they aren’t the main reason to watch that genre. Sometimes they happen naturally though oftentimes they are just for the camera to try and get an advantage in the game. Reality shows have opened one area on television the ability to teach what it is like to have different careers.
 
Of all the types of reality shows, the ones I pay the least attention to are the ones that are closest to soap operas. I can’t lie and say I didn’t watch The Real World, but it has been a long time since I tuned in regularly. In the last decade or so, MTV used to show reruns during the day at the same time as soaps. It is possible people were watching these episodes, but they were old even then. I prefer fictional romance played by competent actors than fabricated passion with amateurs who dream of stardom as a model/actor (aka a mactor). I can see some people using shows of that nature as a replacement for soaps though. They tend to be a lot easier to follow and usually they last a much shorter time. Sometimes we get to know a couple or a potential couple over one episode, other times we see them for only a limited amount of episodes.
 
Since the early days of television there have been reality shows and other forms of unscripted programming, without a cast of actors. Queen for a Day in which people would go to a television studio, share their sob story and the person who was voted as best would win a prize. This is Your Life focused on one person and had testimonials about their lives from people who knew them. These shows were popular when soaps had great ratings also. What is strange was before the rise of reality shows, there was a dearth of unscripted shows on television (not sports), variety shows had disappeared and game shows which had once been a mainstay on prime time television only resurged close to that period with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire… Before then nearly everything on prime time was scripted or news, but if one looks to television in years prior there were always programs on the schedule that weren’t classified as either drama, situation comedy, sports or news. Reality shows have eliminated rebroadcasts of some scripted programming as instead of showing episodes again over the summer, reality content is aired.
 
I believe that the daytime soap opera may cease to exist, but that is not the fault of reality shows. If the networks were replacing all of their daytime programming with this genre, okay. Guiding Light got replaced with a game show; As the World Turns got replaced with a talk show. Neither of these are reality shows, but they are cheaper to license. NBC tried a reality show Starting Over and it lasted about two years, so the strength of this genre on daytime network television is unproven.
 
While soaps are more expensive than other forms of programming shown during the day, it just seemed like in the past, the price difference was worth the revenue produced. Now you get close to the same ratings for shows that cost less, so what’s the point in paying more and getting a smaller return. The only thing I can come up with is loyalty. The people who are loyal are not demographically desirable anymore. Gone are the days that people watch a channel all day in some cases including local news and nighttime programming. I know what killing daytime, the remote control is. I’m kidding, even if it is a lot easier to change channels without having to go to the set.
 
So while I enjoy reality shows, I don’t think they replace soaps or other scripted dramas to those people who are devoted to them. They may steal away potential new viewers or provide a respite for disgruntled viewers, but life and technology do a great job of it on their own.