TVSquad

I'd like to think the popularity of this latest bowel movement of reality waste is because there's not much in the way of new scripted shows airing. I'd also like to think that given enough time with the glut of unscripted refuse, viewers will lose interest and stop tuning in.

Of course, I'd also like to think nobody outside of 10-12 year old, mentally deficient boys would enjoy watching "rasslin" ever, either.

So, in conclusion, as I said earlier...someone please kill me now.

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It's still way too soon for the writers to cave to the suits. A lot of great scripted shows still haven't run out (Lost, Friday Night Lights, Boston Legal, Chuck, other shows that are good but I don't watch). Plus the Shield and the Wire are starting up. Also, most of these reality shows on right now have been well established and have good followings. I really think the writers are going to have to wait till the summer. People will get sick of this if there are no scripted shows at all. Again, I still think it's way too soon since the Networks have been pacing the scripted stuff. They will run out of shows eventually.

When the hits like Grey's, the CSI's, and Desperate Housewives start airing repeats longer than a few weeks people will start to notice.

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Your headline made my stomach flop. This is what I was afraid of about the strike. Network execs will think that writers are expendable because we just don't need 'em.

Well, shows like SuperNanny (gag) may be doing well, but they will NEVER get the word of mouth support and frenzy that a show like Lost or Heroes does. Just won't happen.

That said, I'm seriously in doubt about that poll. People didn't know we were in repeats? Puhlease. Grey's Anatomy is the biggest show on Television ratings wise; you think if people had realized it was the last new episode EVER that they wouldn't have watched?

Polls are only as good as the questions asked and the timing. If this poll was done starting on December 19th, then most people wouldn't have even noticed repeats. With the holidays, TV always goes into repeats, and the last shows of most scripted series were ending just around that time. Sorry Poll - you're bogus.

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I'm with Lenny, I'm hoping the reality show popularity is because of the draught of good shows.

As for me, my shows head into repeats, I'll be looking for anything to do, but reality shows.

Here's my list of 10 things to do to survive the strike.

http://redlightnaps.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/survive-writers-strike/

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There's a show on at the moment on BBC One in the UK called the one and only which is basically a singing contest where the people pretend to be various famous people. At best they look like someone dressing up as a celeb for fancy dress, at worst they look... shit, and they sound about the same.
I commented to my brother that there are all these idiots watching this show, and voting, and going to the tapings, and screaming for their favourites, but I bet none of them would ever have considered going to a club to see these type of people performing, struggling to make a living. Because it's on TV they get obsessed by it despite it having no real quality.

For the amount of time devoted to them the talent produced by these shows is ultimately limited but people watch it.

Come Dancing ran for years on the BBC but got cancelled due to low ratings, but stick a few "celebs" in and people watch it. It saddens me.

There are so many great scripted shows, movies, stand-ups and other original forms of entertainment that it amazes me that "reality" content has such a hold on our societies.

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As a young person i would like to say that I enjoy scripted television far more than unscripted/reality TV. I have started watching American Gladiators because it is fairly entertaining but its probably the first unscripted/reality show I've watched since I lost interest in survivor after season 2.

on a side note I'd like to say that Alec Baldwin should have won the Golden Globe for best actor, the man is brilliant as Jack Donaghy.

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I am sssoo sick of reality tv shows. I've pretty much stopped watching primetime network tv aside from my favorite scripted shows that haven't already been replaced by the reality tv shows. I want this strike to be over, however I would hate for the producers to have the last laugh.

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Most scripted TV is awful anyway (as i reality). We used to watch a variety of great shows but Veronica Mars and Arrested Development are gone. So while 30 Rock, Dexter and Friday Night Lights are well made, we can survive without them.

We're just watching far more movies and we're still watching our two other favorite channels: NFL Network and Discovery Channel.

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Since we are now basing TV on every other country we should be seeing a lot more soccer games (and I am not being sarcastic) I really want more soccer in America.

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American Idol routinely got the highest ratings even when there were a glut of new shows. Face it, the American TV going audience is a DUMB one. They're completely unable to process plots that take longer than 22 minutes to resolve. They would rather watch some old has been pop 'star' get drunk and flop about on TV than watch real 'reality' shows (the news).

This is all symptomatic of America's continuing attack on the intellectual.

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i think the real problem is people will (to a certain extent) watch whatever crap you put out there. if the strike goes on for a year or something there might be some pushback but what else are people going to do. while there are tv substitutes (dvds, music, real life) most people don't have use them as such. they turn on the tv and watch the 'best' thing on. if its a choice between 5 different reality shows then they will be watching reality tv.

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It's waaaay too early to judge how well the networks are going to fare on the reality diet they're offering viewers. First, it's winter-when housebound people are more willing to watch whatever's on the tube. Second, the networks aren't totally out of original scripted series yet. Americans aren't reality hogs; they like SOME reality mixed in with their fiction/fantasy. Wait until the strike drags out into next fall or next year and there's nothing on but reality. We'll see what the attitude towards reality is then. Third, as strange as this may sound, people are starting to watch the reality shows because they know the shows they usually watch are about to run out of episodes and they are trying to prevent withdrawal symptoms by latching on to series they know are going to air.

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Enh, it's free TV, so whyfor do you all whine? You didn't pay, you're just minorly inconvenienced, if that.

The channels you DO pay for (cable channels, premium channels) rarely show scripted TV either, yet no one freaks out.

Vote with your feet, silly rabbits. Watch something else, and let the people who do pay for the stuff you like (the advertisers) KNOW.

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I love how people who would rather passively watch a scripted TV show and can't apparently be bothered to read an actual book are insulting the people that can't be bothered to play an actual sport. Maybe, just maybe, people have different tastes than the chosen ones. Maybe they would would rather watch real people do stuff, no matter how engineered the situation, as opposed to made up characters do made up stuff. I like scifi and sports; I'm not calling people that watch soap operas and figure skating idiots. Simple cure for the writers strike; roll your own - http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how_to/4236496.html?series=45 . Seriously, be a participant rather than a watcher. The writer's strike is a gift.

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Scripted or reality, it all depends on the quality. Personally I'd rather watch an episode of The Amazing Race or Survivor then some tedious crime-drama. The really good scripted stuff like Lost, etc. will always attract the viewers anyway.

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