I’m a fan of reality television, don’t get me wrong. I watch The Amazing Race, have seen every episode of Survivor, and when nothing else is on I’m likely to be surfing over to the Game Show Network or even occasionally settling on Deal or No Deal. However, in the end, I believe that reality TV and scripted dramas need to remain on separate pipelines, if you will. Say what you will about Studio 60’s annoying reality show storyline, but I agree with the general principle Sorkin was trying to put forward: when push comes to shove, I’d rather see scripted dramas on television (Of course, the ultimate irony is that NBC replaced scripted dramas on Mondays at 10 with…”The Real Wedding Crashers.” Maybe even Sorkin got a chuckle out of that one.)
However, Sorkin would be somewhat less than pleased at what Variety is reporting this morning. You see, Endemol USA (Producers of ‘Deal or no Deal’, ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Fear Factor’) is no longer content with their pipeline, and seem to believe that they are capable of developing scripted comedies and dramas. Normally, I would just ignore this, but then I actually read the concepts they’re “developing.”
On the comedy front, Endemol has sold “Larry Godfather” to ABC Family. Penned by Mark Palmer (“Kim Possible”), the ensemble comedy revolves around a 21-year-old guy who discovers that while he appears to be human, he’s actually a fairy godfather.
Yes. That’s right. He’s actually a fairy godfather. ABC Family or not, this makes me cringe.
On top of shows like ‘Nanny Dallas’ and a sitcom about a no-B.S. Southern Judge for TBS, they also inked a talent deal.
As for its talent deals, Endemol inked Chubby Skinny Kids after seeing the group’s sitcom script “We Are Internet Millionaires.” Group consists of Upright Citizens Brigade vets Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Adam Pally.
“Their brand of comedy is youthful, a bit self-deprecating and a little bit dangerous,” Gold said. In addition to securing their acting services, Endemol also has inked a blind script deal with the trio.
“A Little Bit Dangerous” put me over the top. You see, I think that some of the script ideas coming out of Endemol aren’t any worse than what come out of other production companies, but I think that all of them reek a little bit too much of their initial reality inklings. Families and their nannies? Sounds like a dramatized version of the various nanny shows. A show on Churchill Downs? Behind the scenes in the realm of horse racing. Southern Judge? Court show + Family Drama.
The problem is that these reality TV constructs are being turned into scripted comedies and dramas without any sort of abandon. Television is already suffering from a distinct lack of original ideas, and adding Endemol into the mix is just making the situation worse. These ideas contain not a stitch of originality, and I wonder if we’re seeing a trend. With the success of reality programming, more production companies might get cocky and start to believe themselves to have the magic touch. As a result, we might be seeing more “Larry Godfathers” making it onto TV instead of, well, better shows. And, even for ABC Family, that’s a bad thing.
When we start getting shows about people on reality shows, I’m sending angry letters.
Cultural Learnings 