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Abstract
The switch at UPN demonstrates how one or two strong reality programs can reverse the fortunes of an entire network. It also points to a pervasive shift in how networks view -- and program -- reality TV shows. Once considered a lucrative but lowbrow upstart used to pump fresh blood into summer schedules or plug midseason ratings leaks, reality television now occupies the front line of TV programming.
Consider: Last year, there were only seven reality shows included in the fall lineup of the six broadcast networks. This year, 23 weekly reality programs dot the fall lineup at those same networks, and a host of others appear on the rosters of prime cable channels such as HBO, Showtime, Bravo and A&E.
NBC, hoping to capitalize on its Olympics viewership, will launch its new lineup of programs on Aug. 30, in what will be the earliest start ever of the "fall season." For weeks, it has been trumpeting the new season of its most successful reality series, Fear Factor and Last Comic Standing. Meanwhile, on the same night, Fox will counter with one of its new reality series, The Complex: Malibu, which features eight couples competing in makeover projects to see which wins a home in the exclusive California coastal community.