One aspect of the tabloid news cycle (and “THE BLOGOSHPERE” ) that has been particularly unforgiving is the recent media coverage of Jon & Kate. If for some reason you haven’t already been inundated with Jon & Kate stories, first, lucky you, and second, here’s a quick recap. Jon and Kate Gosselin have 8 kids, a set of twins and set of sextuplets. They are the stars of a reality TV series that airs on TLC, Jon & Kate Plus 8, in which cameras follow them around to observe the challenges of parenting of such a large brood. The parents review and comment on their daily joys, fights, accomplishments, challenges, and all the madness that comes with raising eight kids. The show is essentially an exhibition of a super-sized suburban existence.
Jon and Kate’s personal lives came under even greater scrutiny when details about their marital difficulties were leaked. We have since been updated daily on rumors and speculation as to the causes of their differences and the extent of their rift. Such invasive coverage is nothing new for tabloids, right? Jon & Kate had voluntarily surrendered their privacy when they signed on to do a television show, allowing cameras into their home and inviting viewers to observe their family. Their on-screen drama and off-screen lack of discretion seem to be customized for tabloidization, it’s the blessing and curse of being on TV and the public’s corresponding fascination with celebrity.
It is easy to write off this program and most Reality TV as vulgar, trite and voyeuristic. But why are there so many Reality TV shows and why do we watch them? Why has the story of Jon & Kate’s separation (and other similar “news” stories) transcended tabloid media and become the subject for more reputable media outlets? What attracts us to the gossip, and the conflict, and the fabricated authenticity? Why is our attention so easily captivated by the inconsequential actions of people we do not know, with whom we often disagree, and with whom we may have relatively little in common?
Cult of Celebrity certainly plays a factor, however unhealthy that may be. Many programs are entertaining, presented in a captivating pace and hypnotic cadence. The series are complete with attractive people, catchy music, and outrageous situational drama. We evaluate our own lives by comparing them with the lives of those onscreen. The characters are objectified and analyzed and their successes (and more often their failures) give us a close-up on all they do, be it good or bad. We watch the morality plays unfold and pronounce our judgments over water-cooler conversations. Our life-choices are validated by viewing the outrageous goings-on of the crazies on the telly…for instance, I might make some silly choices now and again, but I would never do things as petty as those kooky Kardashians! We cheer for the underdog, marvel at the amazing, and laugh at the unaware. However dysfunctional I may think my personal relationships are, I can tune in to MTV’s The Real World for a couple of minutes and quickly realize how happy and functional I actually am. Some shows involve a circus side-show element (Little People, Big World, LA Ink), an instructional theme (Flip This House, What Not To Wear), or a competition on which viewers may or may not actively have a role in determining the outcome (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance).
The above listing of why we watch Reality TV is far from comprehensive. It’s exhausting but not exhaustive. But one of my favorite reasons that we watch Reality TV is that it is a modernized version of a Shakespearean play. You don’t agree? The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Certainly Reality TV is entirely void of Shakespeare’s poetry, its contribution to the English language doesn’t compare (see this clip from the lovely Whitney Houston or any clip of a mumbling Ozzy Osbourne), and I doubt most reality TV programs will stand the test of time. But there are plenty of similarities between Reality TV and Shakespeare’s works. Here’s the rub on a few of those:
The Bard is heralded as an unparalleled accounting of true human character. But Reality TV also gives us an unfiltered view of human character, and in many of the same ways. We observe characters in each genre pursuing love, fame, fortune and power and the lengths to which they will go to acquire these things. There are villains and heroes, confronted with decisions that will affect ultimately everyone in their respective worlds, for better or worse. The most memorable of Shakespeare’s characters are remembered for either their greatest accomplishments or their epic failures, and likewise the characters that are most remarkable from Reality TV are remarkable for either being shown at their honorable best or their unforgiving worst.
Both formats incorporate the colloquial of their time, presented in the prevalent medium of their respective era (Theatre vs. Television). Shakespeare gives us personalized monologues in the form of soliloquies; Reality TV gives us similar monologues in the form of interviews. Each format gives the audience glimpses into the inner thoughts of the principle players, giving context to the decisions they make, however great or small.
The storylines of the Bard and Reality TV have similarities as well. Do you fancy the teenage love story of Romeo and Juliet? These two star crossed adolescents of privilege attend celebratory balls and vie for love in a life of comfort that today is the equivalent of an episode of The Hills (minus the double suicide). The themes from Othello (infidelity, jealousy, suspicion) aren’t too dissimilar from the themes showcased on Cheaters (or the recent fascination with the previously mentioned Jon & Kate). Falstaff wooing the Merry Wives of Windsor is just a slightly more traditional version of the Bachelor (a cad attempting to woo one of a number of eligible and willing young women). There are attempts by Wife Swap husbands to Tame one another’s Shrews, alliances are made on Survivor to take out power players much like Brutus and Cassius conspiring to take out Julius Caesar, and there is enough cross-dressing in any number of Shakespeare’s plays (take your pick) to fill any one of Bravo’s Reality programs (again, take your pick). Shakespeare is everywhere.
So as Jon & Kate continue to play out their true-to-life Comedy of Errors, and as we viewers continue to laugh at and moralize upon and pronounce judgment from afar, let us not forget that truth is stranger than fiction and there is reality to be found in the invented story. Even without Shakespeare’s artistic prose and unmatched understanding of human nature, Reality TV does accurately portray elements of human nature. Even if these are half-truths, there’s much to be gleaned from the fabricated truths of faux-Reality-TV. Whether it’s on the small-screen or on the stage, The Play’s The Thing.
Cult of Celebrity certainly plays a factor, however unhealthy that may be. Many programs are entertaining, presented in a captivating pace and hypnotic cadence. The series are complete with attractive people, catchy music, and outrageous situational drama. We evaluate our own lives by comparing them with the lives of those onscreen. The characters are objectified and analyzed and their successes (and more often their failures) give us a close-up on all they do, be it good or bad. We watch the morality plays unfold and pronounce our judgments over water-cooler conversations. Our life-choices are validated by viewing the outrageous goings-on of the crazies on the telly…for instance, I might make some silly choices now and again, but I would never do things as petty as those kooky Kardashians! We cheer for the underdog, marvel at the amazing, and laugh at the unaware. However dysfunctional I may think my personal relationships are, I can tune in to MTV’s The Real World for a couple of minutes and quickly realize how happy and functional I actually am. Some shows involve a circus side-show element (Little People, Big World, LA Ink), an instructional theme (Flip This House, What Not To Wear), or a competition on which viewers may or may not actively have a role in determining the outcome (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance).
The above listing of why we watch Reality TV is far from comprehensive. It’s exhausting but not exhaustive. But one of my favorite reasons that we watch Reality TV is that it is a modernized version of a Shakespearean play. You don’t agree? The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Certainly Reality TV is entirely void of Shakespeare’s poetry, its contribution to the English language doesn’t compare (see this clip from the lovely Whitney Houston or any clip of a mumbling Ozzy Osbourne), and I doubt most reality TV programs will stand the test of time. But there are plenty of similarities between Reality TV and Shakespeare’s works. Here’s the rub on a few of those:
The Bard is heralded as an unparalleled accounting of true human character. But Reality TV also gives us an unfiltered view of human character, and in many of the same ways. We observe characters in each genre pursuing love, fame, fortune and power and the lengths to which they will go to acquire these things. There are villains and heroes, confronted with decisions that will affect ultimately everyone in their respective worlds, for better or worse. The most memorable of Shakespeare’s characters are remembered for either their greatest accomplishments or their epic failures, and likewise the characters that are most remarkable from Reality TV are remarkable for either being shown at their honorable best or their unforgiving worst.
Both formats incorporate the colloquial of their time, presented in the prevalent medium of their respective era (Theatre vs. Television). Shakespeare gives us personalized monologues in the form of soliloquies; Reality TV gives us similar monologues in the form of interviews. Each format gives the audience glimpses into the inner thoughts of the principle players, giving context to the decisions they make, however great or small.
The storylines of the Bard and Reality TV have similarities as well. Do you fancy the teenage love story of Romeo and Juliet? These two star crossed adolescents of privilege attend celebratory balls and vie for love in a life of comfort that today is the equivalent of an episode of The Hills (minus the double suicide). The themes from Othello (infidelity, jealousy, suspicion) aren’t too dissimilar from the themes showcased on Cheaters (or the recent fascination with the previously mentioned Jon & Kate). Falstaff wooing the Merry Wives of Windsor is just a slightly more traditional version of the Bachelor (a cad attempting to woo one of a number of eligible and willing young women). There are attempts by Wife Swap husbands to Tame one another’s Shrews, alliances are made on Survivor to take out power players much like Brutus and Cassius conspiring to take out Julius Caesar, and there is enough cross-dressing in any number of Shakespeare’s plays (take your pick) to fill any one of Bravo’s Reality programs (again, take your pick). Shakespeare is everywhere.
So as Jon & Kate continue to play out their true-to-life Comedy of Errors, and as we viewers continue to laugh at and moralize upon and pronounce judgment from afar, let us not forget that truth is stranger than fiction and there is reality to be found in the invented story. Even without Shakespeare’s artistic prose and unmatched understanding of human nature, Reality TV does accurately portray elements of human nature. Even if these are half-truths, there’s much to be gleaned from the fabricated truths of faux-Reality-TV. Whether it’s on the small-screen or on the stage, The Play’s The Thing.
What do you mean dysfunctional relationships?
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