The Fun, Scandalous, Powerful Truths Hidden in Reality TV’s History

Emily Nussbaum shares 5 key insights from Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV.

Do you watch a lot of reality TV? If you do, you’re not alone. In many ways, the genre seems to have taken over the entertainment industry and become hugely influential on American culture and politics (Thanks, The Apprentice.) But how did we get here? Joining us to tell that story is Emily Nussbaum, author of the new book Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV. Emily is a staff writer at The New Yorker and won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2016. Here she is to share 5 of her key insights.

1. Reality television isn’t new.

I first thought about writing a reported book about reality TV back in 2003. At the time, Survivor was an established, massive global blockbuster. The internet was still fairly new, and I had started watching a strange show in secret streaming (a series called Big Brother) online, telling no one about it. The new entertainment genre seemed strange and fascinating and more than a little bit embarrassing. It seemed like there might be a good book in it. But when I told my friend about the idea, he had one response: you better write that fast.