There are a whole lot of reality shows on television these days. Most of these shows have become very popular. It was sometime in the early 20th Century that a person got a brainwave and the idea of capitalizing on the inherent curious nature of all humans was born. Humans have an affinity and attraction towards something that is unknown, scary and thrilling. Capitalizing on this curiosity resulted in reality shows.Records show that the pioneer to explore this new area and create a concept was by Allen Funt, homepage who was himself an American idol. Besides being a good actor, he displayed his skills as a producer and writer as well. He is credited with being the creator a new concept called candid camera. It was a bold move in a conservative environment. The program itself was called candid camera where the subject is not aware of what is happening till the last moment.
The person would then be asked a set of questions that were very personal and somewhat embarrassing. Surprisingly, the concept became a runway hit went on to become a rage for the next 40 years or so. It was an achievement of some sorts to have had such a long run. Funt had initially thought up this concept for a show on ABC Radio that was called Candid Microphone. It was later adapted and became a smashing hit on television. He was also experimenting by using kids and adults as his subjects on the shows. This created curiosity and viewership increased dramatically all over.
Not to be left behind, Granada Television in the UK introduced the series Seven Up! That was a new concept, where a group of ordinary seven year-olds from a wide cross section of society were interviewed and asked about their reactions to everyday life. After a gap of about seven years the same kids were asked a new set of questions that were identical and the answers were quite varied and amazing. Psychiatrists and Psychoanalysts had something to think about. The concept got a new twist with the production of Nummer 28 on Dutch television. It put a group of people in the same environment and had the reactions filmed secretly. The reactions of the people to various situations were recorded and the results were quite astonishing. This particular show started using sound-track music and also "confessionals" recorded by cast members that served as interesting narrations. As the members were from a cross-section of society, the reactions were as varied as their backgrounds.
With the introduction of the TV show Robinson Expedition, reality shows started becoming more exciting and dangerous. People were vying with each other to get a chance to participate and try their hands at winning. The show ended after contestants had been at each other and were eliminated one by one until the winner emerged. These shows came to be called the elimination shows and they became so popular that millions of viewers started watching them on popular services offered by service providers like Dish TV Packages.
International recognition came with the success of Big Brother and American Idol which received top ranking as far as ratings are concerned. The locations were exotic and the situations were real time with an element of risk and danger inherent. The airing of The Amazing Race and Project Runway recorded a dip in viewership. Shows such as Fear Factor and Wife Swap had to rely on re-runs during the day on cable television for sustenance. The longest running reality show COPS, however, has survived and proved to be the longest surviving program . This award winning production was created by John Langley and Malcolm Barbour and focused on police officers, constables and sheriff's deputies during their regular patrols and beats. It went on to earn four Emmy nominations and is currently aired prime-time on Saturday nights.