What’s labeled as reality television started dominating channels and networks when the leaders of those outlets realized they could get high ratings and ad revenues from programs like "Survivor" that were popular and less expensive to produce.
Since then, we’ve seen networks like HGTV and Discovery thrive almost exclusively because of reality shows. And during the pandemic, arguably the biggest hit was "Tiger King" — which purportedly was real.
To talk more about why reality TV continues to be popular — even as it’s not all that real in many cases — The Show spoke with Arizona Republic media critic Bill Goodykoontz.
