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UNDERSTANDING REALITY TELEVISION Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn, eds. London: Routtedge, 2004, 302 pp.
In a recent issue of Cranta (no. 86), Andrew O'Hagan discusses the relationship between films and personal experience, referencing the particular and complex ways in which people identify with, and engage in, moving images. In an astute comment, O'Hagan writes that "movies and real life share secret things to do with one another... that only the hard-hearted could fail to see" (180). This describes something of the connection that binds viewers to narratives on film and television, and it highlights the mysterious ways in which audiences take meaning from, and interpret, what they see on screen. But what happens when these images not only call out to viewers at the level of narrative, but also make claims about being "real"? In other words, if narrative, fictional worlds connect with viewers' inner lives, how might one characterize the power of unscripted, nonfktion images? Do these images provoke a heightened sense of identification on the part of viewers? Do they also encourage a greater degree of anticipation during the viewing experience? Do unscripted scenarios hold the promise (fulfilled or not) that anything can happen?
One might consider, then, the role of unscripted narratives in the current cultural milieu, which has seen documentary films (Fahrenheit 9/11 [2004], Capturing the Friedmans [2003], Spellbound [2002]) and unscripted reality-television shows (Survivor, American Idol, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) generate enormous fan bases and strong numbers, either at the box office or in the Nielsen ratings. Film studios and television networks have witnessed and responded to this surge in the popularity of unscripted media; cable and network television in particular have attempted to capitalize on this phenomenon. The cable television network Bravo has even produced a five-part documentary called The Reality of Reality-thai is, a metareality show-with segments such as "How Real is the Real?" and "Behind the Scenes." Reality television, which promises to unveil things "as they are," has generated its own reality show (with its own portrayal of "the real").
In this context, unscripted television has become an...