Scripted. But that's obvious from my blog's name.

 

Didn't see Both or Either as an option so I didn't vote.

 

Scripted, with the exception of "Hell's Kitchen" and "AI". I might pop in to watch "Survivor" every now and then.

 

Scripted (and not the scripted reality(?) shows).

 

The only reality show I have ever watched was FOX's Trading Spouses. You just had to love that "God Warrior" lady!

Otherwise it's scripted only for me.

 

Even the "unscripted" shows are scripted -- they are edited to maxmize and fabricate drama.

 

A nice 12-0 so far. And they say scripted dramas are dead. Pshaw.

 

Top Chef is about the only "reality" show I watch regularly.

 

There, I busted the skunk

Actually, I am probably a "both" person as I can't really say I prefer one over the other. That being said, I'm more likely to feel antsy about missing an unscripted show (that I like) than a scripted show (save Lost).

So my 50/50 scales tipped towards the unscripted side.

 

I proudly claim to have never watched a reality show EVER!

 

I worked with a guy who's roommate who was on a reality show (Beauty and the Geek, I think it was). He said it was not really scripted, but that the producers would come in and offer "spiffs" for certain activities. For example, any guy that cried on camera would get a $500 bonus, and a fistfight was worth $1,000.

 

We need a "neither" since I don't watch "shows," unless you count NFL games as unscripted shows.

 

Good Scripted television all the way, reality tv is the biggest pile of garbage on the planet sucking what little intelligence people have left right out....

 

No preference as there's no head to head comparison.
I watch Survivor, but there's not a scripted program like it.
I watch CSI, but there's no unscripted program like that.

/yawn

 

Like television, life is no longer just 'black & white'. Neither of your inflexible options come close to representing my views.

To start a poll and give responders only two choices is to try to force us all into one of two boxes. Next time you start to think of a poll, give it some additional thought and provide more representative choices.

Because my choice is not represented, I am not voting.

 

I watch CSI, but there's no unscripted program like that.

Ummm, yeah, there is. It's called "The First 48". And there are several documentary type shows including "Forensic Files" and "The Real NCIS". Once you watch those, you see how fake and silly the network CSI type shows are.

Aside from those, there is very little 'unscripted' TV; "COPS" (and clones), traditional daytime game shows, that Drew Carey improv show and maybe some of the morning talk shows. Even the News is scripted to some extent.

 

no vote for me either as i am a fan as both, espicially "The First 48" and "Crime 360"

 

Like television, life is no longer just 'black & white'. Neither of your inflexible options come close to representing my views.

To start a poll and give responders only two choices is to try to force us all into one of two boxes. Next time you start to think of a poll, give it some additional thought and provide more representative choices.

Because my choice is not represented, I am not voting.

A valid view, but the poll, like I said, is about what you prefer to watch, given a choice between the two. The impetus for the poll were the incessant claims that drama series are a dying breed, and in a few years nothing but contest shows and reality television will grace our screens. But as we can see that's not really the case, is it? My own opinion, but I abhor the so-called reality shows. I see no value in them whatsoever, whereas great dramas like Breaking Bad, Dexter, etc. etc. only keep going stronger, in my view.

 

A valid view, but the poll, like I said, is about what you prefer to watch, given a choice between the two. The impetus for the poll were the incessant claims that drama series are a dying breed, and in a few years nothing but contest shows and reality television will grace our screens. But as we can see that's not really the case, is it? My own opinion, but I abhor the so-called reality shows. I see no value in them whatsoever, whereas great dramas like Breaking Bad, Dexter, etc. etc. only keep going stronger, in my view.

This has been a surprise to me, a very pleasant surprise. It never occurred to me when I started my blog that we'd see a significant expansion of new scripted programming on cable.

I figured we'd have to support a few such shows just to keep things going. Instead, I have to pay attention because of the growing number of scheduling conflicts. And I have too much recorded for season shifting. I'm happy with this situation.

 

If you reach waaaaay back in time, MTV's Real World could be considered the first of the modern reality shows, and it's producers have gone on to give us many other shows in the genre. That first season of Real World was actually pretty interesting and gave some insight into youth culture at that time. Since the participants had never seen such a show, the whole thing was more real and less staged. Unfortunately, as the popularity of reality programs grew participants and producers quickly learned to exploit the format for hype and ratings.

Going back even further in time, if I remember my TV history correctly, there was a PBS documentary on in the early 70s about a typical family. During the show, the parents went through a divorce and the son came out as gay. (Google search turns up "An American Family" from 1973.)

 

I find nothing wrong with TV today - scripted or not. If the program entertains, does it matter if it's reality or not? I watch a lot of TV and I don't necessarilly chose to watch a show based on genre. If it's good, it's good... a bad reality show stinks as much as a bad scripted show.

If you don't watch and enough people follow suit, it'll be gone ... it's that simple ... scripted or unscripted.

Producers and networks follow a simple formula: if the viewership is high, they make money. If not, they'll try something else ... it's the nature of the beast. I suppose as time goes on and TV morphs into something else, we'll find plenty of fault in it, too.

And, of course, there's just no pleasing everyone.

 

I find nothing wrong with TV today - scripted or not. If the program entertains, does it matter if it's reality or not? I watch a lot of TV and I don't necessarilly chose to watch a show based on genre. If it's good, it's good... a bad reality show stinks as much as a bad scripted show.

If you don't watch and enough people follow suit, it'll be gone ... it's that simple ... scripted or unscripted.

Producers and networks follow a simple formula: if the viewership is high, they make money. If not, they'll try something else ... it's the nature of the beast. I suppose as time goes on and TV morphs into something else, we'll find plenty of fault in it, too.

And, of course, there's just no pleasing everyone.

I agree with most of what you say, but there's one point you don't make: If a show's viewership is high, that network and every other network will try to make that same show again and again and again, to the point where even if the original and some of the copies were good, the concept is beaten to death and there's no originality left.

 

I agree with most of what you say, but there's one point you don't make: If a show's viewership is high, that network and every other network will try to make that same show again and again and again, to the point where even if the original and some of the copies were good, the concept is beaten to death and there's no originality left.

True, true, true, jeff ... and it doesn't matter if it's scripted or unscripted, does it? So nothing has changed. TV is TV ... it is what it is (God I hate that cliche!). :nono2:

 

A valid view, but the poll, like I said, is about what you prefer to watch, given a choice between the two. The impetus for the poll were the incessant claims that drama series are a dying breed, and in a few years nothing but contest shows and reality television will grace our screens. But as we can see that's not really the case, is it? My own opinion, but I abhor the so-called reality shows. I see no value in them whatsoever, whereas great dramas like Breaking Bad, Dexter, etc. etc. only keep going stronger, in my view.

Actually I would not take this poll or any poll here and draw these type of conclusions. Polls here are best a finger in the wind of a specific subset of the population. And not given a neutral response skews the numbers (I did not vote because of no neutral response).

You also got the possibility that the person that is more likely to vote would be a person that does not like reality shows. There is a definite a group that takes pride in hating reality shows and wear it like a badge on their sleeve. These people are more likely to be vocal and more likely to vote. On the other hand.. The reality TV person is more likely to like both and when given this poll would do what I did and ignore it as there is not a vote I can place. I am truly neutral and watch both. I have found good entertainment in both and have found bad entertainment in both. Personally in terms of scripted T.V., there is very little I would consider well scripted in my opinion and I am on the constent look for shows that I find entertaining and well written. At this point I would give FlashForward a thumbs up as a new show with potential. In terms of DEXTER... Who ever writes his sisters script need to do a much better job in my opinion.. but I wondering a bit off course.

I do agree with the comment about remaking shows to death. Good Examples of that is the CSI series and all the different Dance shows. Bottom line.. People providing entertainment need to do a better job at creating the product and need to know when to let it die.

 

Once you watch those, you see how fake and silly the network CSI type shows are.

I know CSI is fake and silly.
That's why I watch it. That and the fact that it's so pretty. :grin:
That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining.
Bugs Bunny is also fake and silly, but it's quite entertaining.