Why CBS dumped a reality show. Plus: Emmy and TCA winners, LuLaRich, BB23, Metal Shop Masters, and more
Dear newsletter friends,
From the announcement of awards honoring the best in reality TV to CBS deciding to trash an already-filmed reality competition less than week after a firestorm of criticism over its format, this week has been quite a whirlwind in reality TV.
Summer reality TV started winding down, with AGT and American Ninja Warrior concluding this week, and next week the (really fun) Ultimate Surfer and Big Brother will both end. And of course, BB23’s end means the premiere of Survivor 41, and other fall shows like DWTS.
Speaking of BB23: The Cookout made Big Brother history, in more ways than one, yet, as the L.A. Times reported, CBS didn’t acknowledge that on air—well, until last night, one week after it happened. I was quoted in the story with a few of my thoughts about why.
What should you watch?
To help you decide, I reviewed:
Amazon’s LuLaRich, which includes a bonus review of a terrific podcast
Netflix’s Metal Shop Masters, which is a competition between artists who work in metal
And of course, you can find all my reviews here, or scroll down on the home page to see some random reviews and recommendations!
Who won awards?
Here are the TCA Award winners, including a tie for outstanding reality TV show,
and all the reality TV Emmy winners, except competition series, which will be announced during the Emmys (and I’ll bet it’s Drag Race, again).
If you have 10 minutes, I’d recommend watching the video of TCA Award winners talking about their awards—Jean Smart’s comments about her lifetime achievement award are particularly moving! 🥲
What’s coming to TV?
The cancelled season of COPS will be on TV soon, thanks to Fox News.
All of this week's reality TV premieres and documentaries on TV
Who’s unhappy?
Canada's Drag Race judge Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, who "found himself falling victim to the same kinds of machinations he’d been re-creating" on UnReal, this profile of him says.
Alanis Morissette, the subject of a forthcoming HBO documentary that she now disavows: “I was lulled into a false sense of security and their salacious agenda became apparent immediately upon my seeing the first cut of the film.”
⭐️ I recommend
This documentary and this podcast about a craze that will not go away
This story about America’s Got Talent’s prize, which is not actually $1 million cash
This interview with Selma Blair about her forthcoming documentary
This story, written by a story producer, about how Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is edited (it returns for season 16 tonight)
This hilarious video, which is easily the best minute of entertainment I watched all week
That’s everything for this week! I hope you have a great weekend full of terrific TV.
best,
Andy
🌄 This is Reality in Focus issue 260, first sent Sept. 17, 2021, and it’s ready for Survivor to be back.
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