TVSquad

From the 1950s through the 1980s, reality television programming was a rarity on the schedules of the Big Three networks. It was more of a novelty that piqued the interest of the viewers for a few months or a few seasons, then was relegated back into the shadows while scripted shows dominated the airwaves. It wasn't until the very end of the 1980s, when FOX premiered COPS, that reality-based programming became a prime-time staple.

It stayed that way for several years. Then, just like that, it all changed, thanks to one show that premiered in 1992. With a simple program on a fairly new cable channel, reality programming went from television rarity to huge success. So much so that, in a few short years, it spawned various direct copies and variations of its concept on both the over-the-air and cable networks. By the early 21st century the airwaves were filled with more reality programming than scripted works, garnering the ire and the joy of many a long-time television viewer.

And, it all began on a network primarily known for its music videos and Pauly Shore.

I'm one of the many people who laments the "channel drift" that has affected MTV. A network that started out as, well, "music television" has clearly become "anything but music television." There's even a graph now on GraphJam the depicts how The Real World caused the downfall of MTV. The graph shows how the airtime for music videos has decreased as The Real World grew in popularity. Perhaps it should also measure how the cast of The Real World became more attractive and subsequently less intelligent.

The graph posits that by 2010 music videos will be nonexistent on the channel. Also, interesting is the rise of what the graph calls simply "other crap" that coincides with the rise of shows like The Real World and Road Rules. I assume "other crap" refers to shows like The Hills, My Super Sweet Sixteen, and Made -- shows that have replaced music videos in primetime (and replaced music videos with their incessant reruns in daytime).

Because there just aren't enough versions of CSI, Spike is adding a reality show to the crime solving mix. The channel has ordered ten episodes of a new show called Murder from Bunim-Murray Productions. They are best known for The Real World, Road Rules, and The Simple Life.

The new show will find two teams of contestants investigating a replica of an actual crime scene under the watchful eye of Detective Tommy Le Noir, a 20 year veteran of law enforcement. The teams have 48 hours to complete their investigation before making their final presentation to Le Noir. The team that makes the best case will have a donation made in their names to charity.

The idea makes sense for Spike, given that they already run CSI and CSI: NY. Scheduling Murder in alongside those is a good fit. On the other hand, I can't help thinking that this show was already done with Murder In Small Town X. And just going on what we have here, it sounds like it was done better then.

We've already seen Survivor and Big Brother go the all-star route. And The Amazing Race is getting set to kick off their own version. Heck, it seems like every time I click by MTV there is another show filled with past Road Rules and Real World cast members. So why not American Idol?

According to TV Guide, Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe is trying to sell Fox on the concept. It's part of the planned songwriting competition. Lythgoe's idea is to narrow those entries down to ten songs and then bring in ten former Idol contestants to sing the songs on the show.

I'm not an Idol fan, but I have to say, that's a solid idea. I'm guessing they won't be able to get Kelly Clarkson, and chances are Jennifer Hudson won't be involved. But assuming that they can manage to get ten of the more popular contestants, this should make for another huge week of ratings. And an American Idol All-Stars CD... And an American Idol All-Stars Special Edition DVD... And... good grief, Idol is just a machine. At this point it's rivaled only by the power of Harry Potter.

Don't you just love looking at the week's TV schedule and seeing "New" splashed everywhere? That's my Christmas morning. So, there's plenty of new stuff choose from, but here are AOL Television's picks for what to watch this week.

Heroes (Mon., 9PM, NBC)
Casting directors can be so genius sometimes. George Takei as Hiro's father? Never would've thought of it myself, but it totally works. Hiro's dad could never be some random Japanese guy. He's gotta have the gravity to complement Masi Oka's off-the-walls energy. Mr. Nakamura turns out to be a severe, harsh guy who doesn't approve of his son's quest to be a hero. Here's an idea to fix that: Give dear old Dad some powers, too.

Road Rules: Viewer's Choice (Tue., 9PM, MTV) 14th season premiere
'Road Rules' is still alive? Yep, MTV has resuscitated the reality series returns after a three-year hiatus. Thank goodness, we need new blood in the 'Real World/Road Rules Challenge' (very important). This new edition of 'Road Rules' features six "infamous" former contestants, who can be voted out and replaced with another alum by YOU the almighty viewer. After all, YOU were also Time magazine's Person of the Year. Don't let all the power and glory go to your head.

Boy, MTV never lets a reality show die, do they? They've decided to bring Road Rules, which ran from 1995 to 2004, back to their lineup, but not without a few changes first.

First of all, this version will stick an all-star cast from previous installments in the RV and send them on a cross-country trip. But the big change is going to be that the show will shoot in real-time, instead of months in advance, and viewers will be able to vote out a cast member every week via online vote. The two "weakest" cast members will be voted on by the cast each week and they will face off on MTV's Overload broadband channel. Then viewers will vote for the one that gets eliminated, along with who will be their replacement in the RV (that's the confusing element to the story... I guess they need to replace the eliminated person or else the show would end pretty quickly).

The "real-time" element should be interesting. To be honest, I'm about 10 years too old for this show, which I stopped watching almost that long ago. But it'll be fun for the young'uns and the reality nuts out there.

[via Pop Candy]