Bayou Billionaires - New CMT show about Shreveport family

daybreaker said
People talk about the quality of shows on TV, but thats capitalism at work.

Reality TV is unscripted so you dont need to pay writers, set designers, etc. Its super cheap to create and produce a reality show. Much much much cheaper than a standard sitcom or drama.

And, on top of that, they get decent ratings... While there might not be as many people watching Bayou Billionaires as CSI, I bet the ratings to cost ratio is just as good, if not better.

You wonder why I am for government funding of art? Its because reality TV is proof that capitalism is not perfect, and in the case of TV, is ruining it.

Yes, I think you're right about the inexpensive cost of production leading to the proliferation of this sort of reality tv - most of which is pretty worthless apart from cheap/base entertainment.

But at the same time, some have said that we're in a new golden age of television due to the quality of the serial dramas that have exploded basically since the Sopranos. And not all of them are on premium tv. Great shows like Lost, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, etc.

Reality tv is cheap but there's still a lot of great tv being made right now. Arguably more than ever.