The Tamesis
On Christmas Eve 2017, Countess Luann De Lesseps had just been arrested in Palm Beach. “I’m going to kill you,” the 52-year-old chanted in the back of a police car before breaking free from handcuffs and trying to escape in a floral sundress like Harry Houdini. Later, when she was alone in her cell, a guard took pity on her and threw her a bologna sandwich. “It was almost like a dead fish hanging in my mouth,” Luann described it in a somewhat poetic way on the Bravo show. real housewives of new york “So sad” after they aired grainy dashcam footage of her arrest.
I remember when I watched this play, I was fascinated. The trilingual upper-class woman is now also a convicted felon (her convictions include assault, drunkenness and trespassing). Soon after, she turned her experience into a successful cabaret show that is currently touring around the world. Amidst all this, one fact remains: Ronnie Still one of the best pieces of television I’ve ever seen. Compare electric wire or Peaky Blinders Or something that someone else’s boyfriend insists I watch. However, I might sound sarcastic if I said that reality TV as a genre is responsible for some of the most emotionally complex, moving, and comedic Shakespearean storylines on television. Because reality TV is boring and cerebral, right?
Sometimes, yes, but not always.
Reality TV has a reputation for being anti-intellectual and vulgar, which may stem from several factors. As a genre, it occupies a strange space – neither documentary nor scripted television, but a glossy third thing involving overly dramatic background music and pre-planned scenes. Critics have argued that the format is both mind-numbing and salacious, designed for immediate gratification, and often focuses on the actors’ petty personal grievances and lowest moments. However, these shows follow the real lives of real people, sometimes for years, even decades. For anyone deeply interested in the minutiae of being human, reality TV is the way to go. The Best Reality TV Shows – Every Bravo Franchise, kardashian family, dance moms— are anthropological studies with contrived witticisms, and life is exaggerated.
I’m not the only one making this argument; it’s been picking up pace on TikTok lately. “This is anthropology, sociology, the human condition,” one poster said. “When you binge eat, you’re not a piece of shit. You’re doing research, you’re collecting data points.” Obviously “research” is a bit of a stretch, but there’s a reason for that Vanderpump Rules Nominated for two consecutive Emmy Awards and received a Special Mention for Outstanding Picture Editing in 2023 (the year of “Scandoval”). Rarely do we get to see the events leading up to and following a romantic betrayal and hear the voices of all affected parties. This type of content is usually limited to Esther Perel’s podcasts or one-season shows Couples therapy.
I also suspect that, like “chick flicks” or “romantic comedies,” the disdain for reality television is closely tied to the fact that it is a format consumed primarily by and featuring women and gay men. Women’s interests have long been considered frivolous—especially when those interests involve expressing emotions; talking to each other about their feelings; or outside of relationships with heterosexuals or directly against their status and power. But if it weren’t for housewifeI would not have seen the lives of women in their 50s—their fears, hopes, frustrations—played out on screen in such detail or blatantly. To dismiss such television as silly or boring reveals a lot about what our wider society deems valuable.
