Reality programs have transformed televison, pushing many traditional narratives such as miniseries, sitcoms, and movies of the week off the dial. Because of the genres roots in documentary, many scholars and critics have condemned reality televison for its perceived lack of formal appropriateness and for how it uses documentary conventions for sensational purposes. Examining four representative programs, this book takes a different position, arguing that reality television has more in common with traditional narrative programs than with documentary: its rhetoric is a narrative rhetoric....
Reality programs have transformed televison, pushing many traditional narratives such as miniseries, sitcoms, and movies of the week off the dial....