Reality TV's Life Cycle

Many of the Reality Show’s we love to watch seem to get better with each season. Viewers provide feedback with high ratings and are given more of what they want from the show, whether it be more drama, more fights or more skill/competition based productions. We have seen the scope of Realities change over the years in order to grab a larger audience and keep the existing entertained. Similar to the phases of a products life cycle, reality shows have been doing much the same. Reality shows pass through the life cycle stages and are altered and adjusted between seasons to continue to be a success in the eyes of its viewers.

We can see that the discovery of Reality Shows happen in the introduction stage, at which time viewers will decide whether the show is interesting to them or not. Once the market of viewers that are intrigued by the show adopt the Reality and PVR it when at work, the show is in its growth and maturity phase. As ratings drop, viewers are just not seeking much interest in the show which should scream for change or they will move on to the next reality show buzzed about.

So what is next?...Many people associate reality TV with drama which is not always the case at all. Sure tons of shows attempt to keep us excited with the preview of next week’s drama and scandalous acts, but we can only live for this for so long. More of what we need to see getting introduced to viewers today are, Reality Shows that make differences and at the same time see the challenges and efforts faced in achieving goals.

One show that is new on MTV called The Buried Life takes this into account-minus the high school drama. The Buried Life is like no other, it is the journey of 4 friends that venture around the globe to complete a list of ‘100 things to do before you die.’ For every item crossed off their list, they help one stranger achieve one of their own.
Check out the trailer...