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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.
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This is the story of five Amish kids, a supermodel named Tyra, a billionaire with weird hair, and a new respect for reality TV.
Last year, the UPN television network had no reality programs on its fall schedule, and, except for its Monday night lineup of sitcoms starring African-American actors, was generating few ratings and little buzz.
This season, however, the network owns the most successful new series of the summer, a reality show called Amish in the City. And beginning next month, it will air twice a week America's Next Top Model -- last spring's most popular new show among young women aged 18 to 34.
Suddenly, UPN is a red-hot network that can claim 2 million young adult viewers -- twice as many as last year.
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.
Trusting in Trump
It's not just a matter of quantity. This fall, for the first time, reality shows form the programming cornerstone of every network except WB. And nowhere is that more clearly seen than on NBC and Fox.
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.
And for the first time in more than two decades, NBC's Thursday evening lineup -- the night it has relentlessly promoted as "must- see TV" -- is not built around a hit comedy or drama such as The Cosby Show or ER. Instead, the success of NBC's Thursday ratings lies on the back of a reality program, Donald Trump's The Apprentice, which returns Sept. 9 for its second season.
These days, The Apprentice -- not Dick Wolf's Law & Order -- is the network's "single most valuable show," according to NBC President Jeff Zucker. It is the same at Fox, where programming czar Preston Beckman calls American Idol, not The Simpsons, the network's "crown jewel."
"For the first time, not only are you seeing more reality shows on the fall schedules, but I think reality shows are finally getting the credit that is owed to them," says Dawn Ostroff, the president of UPN, who is responsible for turning that network around.
"It used to be, you had comedy, drama and the stepchild: reality," she adds. "Like comedy and drama, it's become a staple, and that's because a lot of networks have seen that reality can be a real game-changer for them."
The prototype game-changer is Survivor, which in the summer of 2000, "came on and helped turn around CBS," she says. Four years later, the franchise is as strong as ever; Survivor: Vanuatu, the ninth version of Survivor (making its premiere Sept. 16), forms the cornerstone of the CBS lineup on Thursday nights.
Send in the clones
Other examples of the clout and ripple effect of reality television abound. The Apprentice, starring Trump, made its debut last January, and so dominated the Nielsen ratings in the second half of the season that it (seemingly instantly) spawned two imitations.
The first, ABC's The Benefactor, stars billionaire Dallas businessman Mark Cuban, who dangles a million-dollar prize in front of 16 contestants. It will air on Monday nights at 8 starting Sept. 13.
The second, Fox's The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best, features Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Airlines, leading a group of young entrepreneurs around the world. It will air Tuesday nights at 8, starting Nov. 9.
"Before, the thinking was that you would never put reality on in the fall, because advertisers wouldn't accept it," says Jonathan Murray, executive producer of Branson.
"Well, they're accepting it this year, because they see what shows like Survivor, The Apprentice and The Simple Life have done for CBS, NBC and Fox. The genre has really matured," adds Murray, who, with Mary-Ellis Bunim, introduced MTV's The Real World in 1992. (The 15th installment of that landmark franchise will make its premiere Sept. 26 with The Real World: Philadelphia.)
Though reality TV has been around for decades, it has come into its own, commanding respect and taking on characteristics -- from demanding stars, to dueling spinoffs and high-priced producers -- typical of conventional programming.
The initial and great appeal of reality was that a constant rotation of unknown contestants and no need for scripts, kept production costs incredibly low. In 2001, an hour of programming cost an average of $200,000. In contrast, an hour of drama at that time cost about $2 million to produce.
But success breeds higher costs. This season, NBC is spending a reported $2 million per episode on The Contender, a boxing series produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor), with actor Sylvester Stallone and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard as coaches. As for The Apprentice, Trump recently told the Wall Street Journal that he thinks he ought to be paid $18 million an episode this year. Last year, he made $50,000 an episode.
Trump's reasoning: If the six stars of NBC's longtime hit, Friends, made $1.5 million each per episode, he ought to receive $9 million -- as the lone star. And, because his show fills a full hour of the schedule, while Friends ran only 30 minutes, NBC ought to double that figure.
Trump says he's half kidding, but the point is made: Though unknowns provide much of the talent, the most popular reality shows also have performers without whom they would not be the same. Think Trump, Tyra Banks, Simon Cowell and Paris Hilton.
Reality work wanted
Another escalating cost is that of writing. While it's true that there is little need for writers in a series like Big Brother, in which cameras offer viewers a fly-on-the-wall look at life inside a house full of strangers, other permutations of the evolving genre demand more scripting.
Take Fox TV's The Simple Life, which stars Hilton and Nicole Richie traveling across the country. The show has a clear story arc with a beginning, middle and end, and one can't help suspecting that some of the lines are scripted. Certainly, someone is writing the narration used in the voiceover.
The Writers Guild of America-West now is demanding in its contract negotiations with Hollywood studios that union writers and story editors be hired on reality shows. If that happens, writing costs could increase as much as tenfold (to a minimum of $20,000 for each episode). Networks also would have to pay health and pension benefits for the writers and editors.
Much of the responsibility for rising costs lies with an elite group of producers who have emerged as genuine auteurs. Its members, including Murray and Burnett, are to Hollywood today what Jim Brooks (The Simpsons) was to the sitcom era, or Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues) was to the development of prime-time drama. And the deals they command are commensurate.
While the average cost of an hour of reality TV remains in the $800,000 price range, there are now a half-dozen series that cost twice that much.
Bidding for the best talent behind and in front of the camera is only going to get more intense. Next year, competition moves to another level altogether with the planned launch of two 24-hour channels devoted only to reality programs -- Rupert Murdoch's Fox Reality Channel and Reality 24-7, a new channel led by former cable executive Kay Koplowitz.
"Now it's not just counter-programming in prime-time fall schedules, it's entire niche networks devoted to reality programming," says Ron Simon, curator at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City.
That might seem like more reality TV than the culture can bear. But it is unlikely that the end is anywhere in sight.
"Everyone's been predicting the death of the genre since the late 1990s, but it just grows and grows," he says.
"It's not just national; it's an international phenomenon. There is something about reality shows that attracts young demographics around the world. And that's too powerful for programmers not to stay with it."
Models, boxers, billionaires and parents are all in the lineup
Here are a few shows that have caused a buzz:
America's Next Top Model -- Now in its second year, this UPN reality show, starring supermodel Tyra Banks as judge, features a search for the next hot model. The network next month will use the successful show to launch two highly touted new fall dramas, Kevin Hill and Veronica Mars. The show has cultural clout; by showcasing new modeling "talent," it shapes standards of beauty for young viewers. The new season is scheduled to begin Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.
The Contender -- One of two boxing reality series in which contestants literally fight for the championship. NBC has a lot riding on this show created by producer Mark Burnett (Survivor and The Apprentice) and actor Sylvester Stallone. The network is reportedly spending $2 million per episode. The series makes its debut in November, but a date hasn't been set.
The Next Great Champ -- Fox TV's version of reality boxing is already in a court fight. Charging that boxing regulations were violated in the rush by Fox to get Champ on the air, Burnett has sought an injunction to block its debut, which is scheduled for Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. While a California court denied the injunction last week, it ordered another hearing on the matter for Sept. 8. Stay tuned.
The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best -- Fox TV's answer to NBC's The Apprentice, with Sir Richard Branson leading a group of young entrepreneurs on a journey around the world. Branson's real- life reputation as an adventurer adds spice to the show, says producer Jonathan Murray. The series makes its debut Nov. 9 at 8 p.m.
Family Bonds -- HBO takes viewers inside the bizarre world of the Evangelistas, a family of New York bounty hunters, and it's a great ride. Part Cops, part Sopranos, with a bit of Father Knows Best, the series makes its debut Sept. 19 at 10 p.m.
-- David Zurawik
Photo(s); Caption: 1. - 5. New and reprised reality shows for the season include (clockwise from top left) "The Next Great Champ," "The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best," Sylvester Stallone's "The Contender," "Survivor: Vanuatu," and "America's Next Top Model" (pictured: Mercedes Scelba-Shorte).; Credit: Credits, Clockwise From Top Left: Fox, Fox, Nbc, Cbs, Cbs
Credit: Sun Television Critic
(Copyright 2004 @ The Baltimore Sun Company)