What Was the First Reality Show Ever? Hint: It Wasn’t Survivor
Today, the genre of reality show feels like it’s always been here, and it’s almost true — but the first-ever reality show was quite different from what we’re used to now.
Reality shows are really popular these days, and they have been for many years now…entire families are turning into multi-billion-dollar clans thanks to the public’s love for this genre, like, come on. It’s almost impossible to imagine TV without its fair share of reality shows today — and it is, indeed, quite old.
The first reality show ever came out 50 years ago!
It was called An American Family, and it started all the way back in 1973. An American Family followed the daily lives of the Louds household in California, and it was a breakthrough show. Having seen nothing like it before, millions of Americans were glued to their TV screens every week to see what was up with the Louds.
The Louds were a typical upper-middle-class suburban family, the kind that is always assumed to be living their best lives in riches and happiness. However, this wasn’t the case: the household was falling apart as the married couple was going through the divorce. This kind of intimacy with otherwise complete strangers excited the viewers.
Watching the struggles and inner conflicts that plagued the Louds’ everyday lives was something fresh for American (and global) television as prior to An American Family, households were typically presented in the most positive and rosy light on TV, praising the joys and wonders of family life. This show was uncensored.
Despite its immense popularity, An American Family also raised quite a lot of ethical concerns in society. Many people found studying others’ private lives under the microscope immoral and disgusting, and the show’s creators, apart from praise, were also receiving a fair share of backlash and hatred.
Despite all the purism, time showed that it was all in vain. Whether for better or worse, American society changed, and a plethora of new reality shows followed in An American Family’s footsteps. The reality show genre was born, and even though it took quite some years to really take off, it was destined to overtake TV.