TVSquad

I usually associate Real World cast members with drunken barfights, threeways, and tearful meltdowns--but politics? That's a first. Kevin Powell, former Real World reality star, is running for Congress in Brooklyn's 10th District. Old-timers like myself remember Kevin from the show's very first season, back when the cast members weren't equal parts hot and crazy.

Powell's post-reality career has set him apart from the typical fame-seeking MTV celebs. According to his campaign website, he's written seven books and is a successful lecturer and activist. That certainly beats stints on The Surreal Life and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge.

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.

A couple of months ago, I interviewed Lifetime president of entertainment Susanne Daniels for TV Week, asking her about Project Runway jumping from Bravo to her network.

"We know for certain that Heidi (Klum) and Tim (Gunn) are returning. We would love to see the judges back, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia...but we're working on that," she said.

She went on to say that the show will look and feel very much like it did on Bravo; it will be airing in the same time slot, the same day of the week. And she secured Kors and Garcia, so the four important Project Runway principals all will be in place.

Now comes word that in an effort to keep Project Runway as much a hit on Lifetime as it's been on Bravo, Lifetime is bringing in the veteran production team Bunim-Murray to take over as showrunners.

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).

• At 8, FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• ABC has a new Wife Swap at 8, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and Primetime: Crime.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8, then the series premiere of The Baby Borrowers and a new Celebrity Circus.
• HBO2 has On Location: George Carlin at USC at 8, followed by George Carlin Again!, George Carlin at Carnegie Hall, George Carlin: On Campus, and George Carlin: Playin' With Your Head.
• At 9, PBS has a new Nova scienceNOW.
• History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie Charlie & Me at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
• Bravo has a new Shear Genius at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new episode of The Real World.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia.

Check your local TV listings for more.

The first reality show contestant I learned to hate was Puck from the San Francisco season of MTV's The Real World. This was actually before people went on reality shows just to be on television and become some sort of celebrity. Oh, what innocent, fun times those were (and I'm serious - the first few seasons of The Real World were quite good).

Puck was actually OK for several episodes, but then he started with the hateful talk, not getting along with his roommates, and the battles with Pedro (though I have to admit that the thing I disliked most about Puck wasn't any of those things, it was the time he stuck his fingers in the peanut butter - gah). Now TV Guide includes Puck in their list of the top 10 reality TV villains. You can probably guess a few of the others. Spencer Pratt is on there (I had never seen or heard of this guy until Letterman's interview last night), Survivor's Jonny Fairplay, and, of course, Omarosa of The Apprentice.

Anyone missing from this list?

(By the way, it actually hurt a little bit to check the "celebrities" category for this post.)

Screener Hell is an semi-regular feature in which lead blogger Keith McDuffee tries to fry my brain with the worst TV has to offer.

(S02E01/S02E02) Do you have any idea how bad a show you have to be to include several scenes of gratuitous nudity and still be boring!? I love nudity. The more unnecessary the nudity, the better. My favorite kind of nudity is that mid-'90s Cinemax nudity where the main character, despite her ongoing undercover investigation into the exotic world of high-class prostitution, decides to take a shower for 20 minutes for no good reason at all. I'll watch pretty much any kind of claptrap if it includes that kind of nudity.

But not this show. Not Foursome. There is no amount of tanned, taut Californian wannabe-actress flesh that could get me to watch another minute of this show. Please, don't think this is because I'm maturing; the show is just that bad...

• At 8, FOX has a new, two hour So You Think You Can Dance.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8, followed by the premiere of Celebrity Circus.
• At 9, The CW has a new Farmer Wants A Wife.
• History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9.
• Spike has a new UFC Unleashed at 9, then a new Ultimate Fighter.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, ABC has the series finale of Men in Trees.
• The Top Chef season finale airs on Bravo at 10.
• TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne starting at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new episode of The Real World.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, FOX has a new, two hour So You Think You Can Dance.
• NBC has the Red Wings/Penguins Stanley Cup Game at 8.
• At 9, The CW has a new Farmer Wants A Wife.
• TBS has four new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne starting at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new Men in Trees.
• There's a new Top Chef on Bravo at 10.
• Spike has a new Ultimate Fighter at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new Real World.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, FOX has a new, two hour So You Think You Can Dance.
• ABC has a new Wife Swap at 8, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and Men In Trees.
• NBC has the Stanley Cup Finals at 8, the Red Wings vs. the Penguins.
• At 8:30, ESPN has the NBA Playoffs, Celtics vs. Pistons.
• At 9, PBS has a new Great Performances.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
• History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9.
• At 9:30, HBO Comedy has an old One Night Stand with Bill Hicks.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible.
• There's a new Top Chef on Bravo at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new episode of The Real World.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, FOX has the two hour season finale of American Idol.
• CBS has a new new Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular at 8, followed by the season finales of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• TCM has the original Ocean's 11 at 9.
• At 9, TNT has the NBA Playoffs.
• At 9:15, HBO Family has The Return of Maxwell Smart.
• At 10, ABC has the season finale of Boston Legal.
• NBC has the season finale of Law and Order at 10.
• Bravo has a new Top Chef at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new Real World.

Check your local TV listings for more.

MTV, high of off the success of its twentieth season The Real World: Hollywood, has greenlighted yet another season of the hit show to be filmed back in New York. The Real World: Brooklyn will begin shooting this summer and air in early 2009. The network will continue the one-hour format they began with The Real World: Hollywood; they've ordered twelve episodes from Bunim-Murray productions.

MTV is already touting Brooklyn as the return to the "original" Real World (not the version of the show where MTV casts hot-but-less-evolved people). Also, they are playing up the return to New York. But hasn't this been done before? I believe it was season ten and it was actually called The Real World: Back to New York. "The Brooklyn season, like the Hollywood season, will focus on what people loved about The Real World when it launched in 1992 genuine people, meaningful conflict and powerful stories. We're thrilled that MTV is allowing The Real World to turn 21.," says Jon Murray, The Real World Co-Creator and Chairman & President of Bunim-Murray Productions.

What do you think? Are you over The Real World?

Everyone dumps on reality shows (though everyone watches them), but did you know that they can actually boost your career? It's true!

OK, maybe it's just true over at this Fortune article. They list 7 ways that reality shows can help you in your work life. Everything from what not to say in interviews (don't be like Rock of Love's Daisy, who said "um" too many times) to how to make watercooler friends (it involves Simon Cowell, and I'm still not 100% sure I even understand this one).

They also use Donald Trump as an example, of course.

• TNT has NBA Playoffs all night.
• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by a new Supernanny and a new special about Barbara Walters new memoir, Audition.
• CBS has a new Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new, two hour Deal Or No Deal at 8, then a new Law and Order.
• FOX has new episodes of 'Til Death, Back to You, and American Idol.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model at 8 on The CW, followed by a new Farmer Wants A Wife.
• PBS has a new Secrets of the Dead at 8, then a new American Experience.
• Also at 8: TCM has From Here To Eternity.
• At 10, Bravo has a new Top Chef.
• MTV has a new episode of The Real World at 10.
• Spike has a new Ultimate Fighter at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and Men in Trees.
• CBS has a new Big Brother at 8.
• NBC has a new, two hour Deal Or No Deal at 8, then a new Law and Order.
• FOX has a new 'Til Death at 8, followed by new episodes of Back To You and American Idol.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, then the season finale of Pussycat Dolls.
• PBS has a new Secrets of the Dead and a new National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
• Travel Channel has two new episodes of John Ratzenberger's Made in America at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, TBS has two new episodes of Taylor Perry's House of Payne.
• Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10.
• Bravo has a new Top Chef at 10.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new episode of The Real World.

Check your local TV listings for more.