ERSATZ REALISM
We have had just about enough faked realism on our TV screens! Isn't it about time for some fantasy, fable and fun? Some enlightenment, perhaps?
In recent months, we have pushed the realism envelope a bit too far I'm afraid until it has become evident that much of the material was contrived, faked, or severely modified while claiming to be actual happenings in progress live from some of the most outrageous settings in the world.
Oddly enough thus is not a new situation at all. There are quite a few persons out there who continue to believe the "Six Million Dollar Man" stories of many years ago were the true story of an Air Force pilot restored electonically to fight and win the magnifienct battles which were the core of the series. Others accept the "Gilligan's Island" actors as being really shipwreaked on a distant island.
This past seaon gave rise to two monsters - the quiz/money shows and the realism series. Both were borrowed from England. The very same people who are cointinually poking fun at the old-fashioned ways of Eruopean television, have to get their new shows from the very place they so often deride as being stuffy and bound by trandition which forbids innovation and creativity.
That's where we acquired "Millionaire" - from jolly 'ole, up-tight Britain - which quickly spawned a dozen or more immitators . One by one, each network had to have its version of a kindred format. It is interesting to see that, while all the others have gone toes-up, or wherever and in what position dud-Tv shows go, wlth the "Millionaire" continuing to do well l with Meridith Vieira overseeing the "hot seat" area. "Millionaire" survives without Regis Philbin who is now one himself. and quite busy with other things he, wisely, never gave up. One good thing came out of all of hese quiz/money shows and that was a restoration, for a time, at least, of two respected emcee personalities from the past -: Maury Povich and Bob Eurbanks.
Isn't it time now for Ameican television to start to live up to the reputation it has built around the world as being vibrant, strong, and energentic - not only in the technical sense, but also from the standpoint of creation of inspiring, useful enjoyable program materials. Certainly, the world is full of writers who think along such lines. The industry, largely from sheer laziness, has accepted, without question, the antiquated, self-serving mode of literary agents - the same system used by film companies from the silent movie days.
We now need a totally new way of developing televison materials. Competitions through schools of all levels, plus scholarships to keep them filled with would be writers and artists who will become a positive, practical, immeasurably better way - a real step forward looking to a time when TV script production will be a planned, rather than a hapazard operation. We cannot go on much longer being content to exixt on printed materials adapted to the small screen. Television, here in America, is now old enough, wise enough, strong enough to start doing more things on its own.and one of them is the creation of new materials.
When you watch "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortiune", two successful shows past years which have continued. through sysdication, and are still popular, notice the quick credit at the end which reads: "Created by Merv Griffin" We need more "Merv's" in production and management, just as we need new writers.
A.L.M. November 24, 2002 [c526wds]
