TV GUIDE: Ask Matt: Entourage, Ringer, Closer, Torchwood and More!
Sep 19, 2011
by Matt Roush
Send questions to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow on Twitter!
... Question: Eureka was my favorite summer program because it was always fun and never taxing. I will miss all of those sweet characters, just as I will miss the creative Fringe series should it get the axe. Doctor Who will remain my quirky buddy. However, I am very disappointed to learn that certain cable channels which are my refuge from reality shows are leaping on board to soak us with more reality slop. What did we TV viewers do to deserve this reality waterboarding? (Maybe I don't want to hear the answer to that.) — Val
Matt Roush: I've also enjoyed what I've seen of Eureka over the summer, and am sorry there's only one more season to go. Very fun show, and Fringe and Doctor Who are among my faves as well. But to your point about cable networks like TNT, USA, FX and AMC getting into the reality biz — these shows being longtime staples of the Syfy and BBC America schedules, by the way — this is an inevitable progression, given the economics of the business and the popularity of unscripted TV across so many platforms. We just have to hope that some of these programmers will be as concerned about quality control when developing these shows as they have been toward their scripted product. Because not all "reality" TV is "slop" — I try not to be a snob about such things — and a creatively produced unscripted program that doesn't degrade its participants or its viewers is something I don't mind recommending or even watching.
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