Documentary vs. Reality Television Essay

                   There are many differences between documentaries and reality television. According to the dictionary, documentaries are defined as a movie or television show that provides factual evidence about a certain event or person. On the other hand, reality TV is defined as a television program in which real people are continuously filmed and are designed to entertain rather than inform.

            Documentaries are usually praised for their raw and honest perception of someone or something. Even though most documentaries do not include action sequences or deep romance elements, the genre has increased in popularity over the past fifteen years. Some of these highly acclaimed documentaries include Bowling for Columbine, Bully, and Super Size Me. These documentaries have won awards for their insight on pop culture and problems in our society.

            Reality television shows on the other hand, are usually highly false and, more often then not, panned by critics. They usually include a celebrity or a dysfunctional family and only choose to include what makes the person look bad most of the time. This clashes with the truthful and unscripted feeling of documentaries. There is an oversaturation of reality television shows on television, with too little honest television programs. They brainwash people into thinking what they are watching are true events, while they are almost entirely created by writers. A few examples are American Idol, Survivor, and Dancing with the Stars. Even though these television shows are formulaic and repetitive, in their heyday these shows killed it in reviews and have developed huge followings.

            With the honest and real feeling of a documentary providing a new view of society and the almost idiotic feeling of a reality show, it is not surprising both have huge fan bases. Overall it is up to the viewer to tell the producers what does well in the box office and what fails. With the growing popularity of documentaries and the decreasing popularity of reality television, this may be the sign of increasing intelligence in our society, or just that there is nothing good on television.