Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV
Reality television did not begin with Survivor. It began with Candid Camera, and it was always a little cruel.
Emily Nussbaum traces the genre from Allen Funt’s hidden cameras through An American Family and The Real World to the producers who worked out how to manufacture conflict on a schedule. She takes the form seriously as television while staying clear-eyed about what it costs the people inside it. Nussbaum won a Pulitzer for criticism, and the reporting here runs deeper than the subject usually attracts.
Recommended by 1 Person
Tyler Cowen
Emily Nussbaum, Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV. Despite its excellent reviews, I resisted buying this book for a while, because most books on TV are not good. But the Nussbaum book is a true winner, the Candid Camera chapter alone makes it worth it. Recommended, both for its entertainment and its substance value.
Source · December 2024
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