The Death Of Sitcoms, TV Dramas?

Reality TV Is The Success Story Of The Summer

(CBS)  You couldn't channel surf this summer without hitting a reality show. The trend that started with the success of "Survivor" has evolved beyond the risk and reward genre to just plain voyeurism. We watch simply to watch and what we choose to tune into may shape the future of television, reports The Early Show Contributor Laurie Hibberd.

When "The Anna Nicole Show" debuted on E! Aug. 4, the ratings made cable history. The former stripper’s reality-based show is an unlikely stand-out in the latest reality TV race.

"I think we had high hopes for the show because Anna's 'True Hollywood Story' always did well,” said E! Channel President Mindy Herman. “But to be the No. 1 reality show premium in the history of cable and the No.2 premium of any series on all basic cable in history, that’s beyond what we expected."

E! took its cues from MTV’s “The Osbournes” — a success earlier this year that surprised the entire industry.

"We happened to have some video of Ozzie and his family just hanging out that we had shot for another show. And it was those few minutes of video that captured our imagination,” said MTV President Brian Graydon. “So we really didn't know there was a show or a reality sitcom or phenomenon to be in that, we just thought it was interesting."

Interesting enough to capture the highest ratings ever at the time for a cable show. That success opened the door for the summer’s onslaught of new reality shows like “Houston Medical,” “Crime and Punishment,” “Meet My Folks” and “Dog Eat Dog.”

"I think it really all grew out of a cost imperative. Which was that the networks, the major networks looked at what MTV and some of the cable networks were doing and really wanted to try to get some less expensive programming,” said L.A. Times TV critic Brian Lowry.

Reality shows cost an average of $400,000 per hour to produce versus $2 million for a dramatic series. But, many of the newest reality shows lack one basic element — a big pay-off. So what’s in it for the viewer?

"I think for a very short period of time, its just seeing something you haven't seen before. The problem with this whole genre is that its for a very short period of time,” explained Lowry. “Very few of these shows have had a long shelf life. With these shows you get a hit and once its a hit, the clock starts ticking about when you're going to have to replace it."

So as the clock ticks down on reality summer 2002, what will the next phase be?

"I think because of the economics of the industry, the genre cannot go away. It'll just keep morphing and changing," said Lowry.

Herman said, “I think reality, game, you name it, the different genres are there to explore, to entertain and frankly in more difficult times, allow people to relax, enjoy and escape a little bit."

“I don't think this is something that will peak or fizzle,” Graydon said. “It will take all sorts of different mutations as we've seen. But I think reality is sort of in a way of becoming standard television. Its not just a token genre the networks do in the summer."

MTV's next phase is a show called "FM Nation." They will follow teen-agers around as they get ready to go out on a Friday night.