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Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV
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About This Book
Who invented reality TV, the world's most dangerous pop-culture genre, and why can't we look away from it? In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of "dirty documentary," Emily Nussbaum unearths the surprising origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who created it. At once gimlet-eyed and empathetic, Cue The Sun! explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake. Nussbaum traces four paths of reality innovation—game shows, prank shows, soap operas, and clip shows—that united in the Survivor format, sparking a tumultuous Hollywood gold-rush. Along the way, we meet tricksters and innovators—from the icy Allen Funt to the shambolic Chuck Barris; Cops auteur John Langley; Bachelor mastermind Mike Fleiss; and Jon Murray, the visionary behind The Real World—along with dozens of crew members and ordinary people whose lives became fodder for the reality revolution. We learn about the tools of the trade—like Candid Camera's brilliant "reveal" and the notorious Frankenbite, a deceptive editor's best friend—and the moral outrage that reality shows provoked. But Cue The Sun! also celebrates what made the genre so powerful: a jolt of authentic emotion. Through broad-ranging reporting, Nussbaum examines seven tumultuous decades, exploring the celebreality boom, reality TV as a strike-breaker, the queer roots of Bravo, and the dark truth behind The Apprentice. A shrewd observer who cares about television, she is the ideal voice for the first substantive cultural history of the genre that has, for better or worse, made America what it is today.
Reviews
"Reality TV is by nature ephemeral; in that light, celebrating it is futile."
"The book gives us glimpses into the fraught production of these shows, their divided receptions, and the melancholy biographies of some of the thousands of people who have appeared on these shows ..."
"It's a rowdy and unsettling look at how reality conquered television."
"Nussbaum offers a treasure trove of anecdotes that seizes our attention like an action sequence, while asking incisive questions about a world increasingly scripted for consumption ..."
"Whether fans of the genre or not, readers will enjoy this deep dive into a format that, for better or worse, is here to stay."
"The book touches only briefly, near the end, on recent efforts to reckon with reality TV."
"A detailed, engaging focus, interpretation, and historical commentary on the evolution and reception of reality shows."
"Despite that blind spot, overall Cue the Sun!"
"A thoughtful and comprehensive history of a TV genre that shows no signs of disappearing."
"Passionate, exquisitely told ..."
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