Summary

• Reality TV started with hidden camera shows in the 1940s. It evolved into a pursuit of the American family in the 60s.
• The reality TV genre is constantly evolving. Streaming services are entering the game, giving more creative control to producers.
• Pioneering reality TV shows like Candid Camera and An American Family laid the groundwork for popular modern shows like Survivor and The Bachelor.

Reality television exploded in the early 2000s with franchises like hit reality TV shows had quite a fascinating history in the twentieth century with the first reality TV shows. The genre began far earlier than people might realize, and it started with the hidden camera style, then moved into the pursuit of the real American family.

Reality TV continues to be a popular genre. The longstanding show Survivor season 46 is currently airing, and other shows like The Bachelor and Big Brother are approaching season 30. However, while these shows, and another in The Challenge, have entertained fans for so many years, they aren't even the oldest of the reality TV genre. The reality TV genre will likely grow in popularity with streaming networks ing the game and allowing production to control all aspects of the series without worrying about network censors.

1 Candid Camera

The First Reality TV Show - 1948

Candid Camera is the first reality TV show with a creative concept from the start and began on the radio in 1947. According to Guinness World Records, the radio show was called Candid Microphone "and became so popular that it spawned a series of movie shorts using film cameras in place of concealed mikes. The TV version began in 1948 with the title Candid Mike" and switched to Candid Camera the following year.

By 1960, the show was a mainstay on CBS, hosted by Allen Funt. The program has been revived several times through the decades, most recently in 2014 when Peter Funt and Mayim Bialik hosted it. This foray into reality television spawned a genre that would change how TV shows were made and produced.

2 The American Sportsman

Premiered in 1965

Plenty of sports movies are out there, and they could have The American Sportsman to thank. It was one of the first reality TV shows, and it followed TV hosts Joe Foss, Grits Gresham, and Curt Gowdy. Each episode followed a host and a celebrity as they participated in activities in the great outdoors. They did everything from mountain climbing to kayaking and showed some gorgeous places around America. Due to some celebrity guests, the show became popular with sports and nature enthusiasts.

The show typically featured famous sportsmen, athletes, and celebrities, including Bing Crosby, Terry Bradshaw, and Johnny Cash, venturing around the great outdoors. It was fascinating to see these famous figures away from the glamorous spotlight and doing activities like camping and fishing. Seeing celebrities' private lives is more common today, but in 1965, it was much rarer.

3 An American Family

Premiered in 1973

An American Family is widely credited for birthing the reality TV genre, and Variety reported on it before its 1973 launch: Producer Craig Gilbert "set out to capture the living patterns and mentality of a fairly typical middle-America household but instead recorded the drama of a family in the process of coming apart." The PBS series aired twelve hour-long episodes and focused entirely on the Loud family.

An American Family captured marital problems, a son coming out as gay, and "a business crisis." Ten years after the show, curiosity about the burgeoning reality genre led to a follow-up special called An American Family Revisited: The Louds 10 Years Later. It was an original version of Modern Family. 2003 brought a subsequent special, Lance Loud! A Death in an American Family. The program inspired HBO's 2011 TV movie Cinema Verite.

4 Real People

Premiered in 1979

Just like it sounds, Real People was one of the first reality TV shows that captured the triumphs and challenges of real individuals. Subjects opened up to the camera crew about their most challenging endeavors, from flying warplanes to running across Canada. The show was hosted by Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, Skip Stephenson, and John Barbour, who introduced segments featuring a wide range of people and their stories.

Each episode of Real People featured a mix of stories, including from ordinary individuals. It was a family-friendly show for everyone. The series ran for six seasons from 1979 to 1984 and was produced by George Schlatter, who called it a "theater of reality," according to the Real People YouTube channel. There's no doubt that the NBC series was an early seed of the "real people" stories that would inundate TV listings for decades to come.

5 Cops

Premiered in 1989

Beginning in 1989, Cops spent 32 seasons on the air and depicted the routine duties of police officers. It was filmed in cinéma vérité style, eschewing incidental music and sound effects, narration, and scripted dialogue. With handheld cameras and no-nonsense editing, Cops made viewers feel they were part of the action, from routine traffic stops to high-speed pursuits. Its signature theme song became iconic over three decades on the air.

Though Cops continues production for international markets, the series was canceled in the US in May 2020 following the tragic killings of Black individuals involving police officers nationwide. Cops tended to glorify law enforcement while damaging public opinion regarding communities of color. Due to its long run, Cops is one of the most iconic police-themed reality TV shows. Additionally, its casual filming style changed the way reality TV would be produced in the future.

6 The Real World

Premiered in 1992

The Real World premiered in 1992 and is MTV's original reality series. Known as a reality-based soap opera, the program put together a group of young adults who did not previously know one other and followed their interactions under one roof. While there were fake aspects of The Real World, it provided the model for many modern reality TV series. The series has 33 seasons, with some of the best seasons being the early ones. The iconic, long-running series enjoyed its latest incarnation on Paramount+ as The Real World: Homecoming: New York, which centered on the original cast.

The Real World didn't just break new ground in reality TV; it laid the foundation for the genre to grow. This MTV series was a cultural cornerstone, forcing strangers into a shared living space and documenting their interactions, conflicts, and personal journeys. It offered a raw and unscripted look at the lives of its cast .

7 Eco-Challenge

Premiered in 1995

Eco-Challenge was the '90s genesis of the now-ubiquitous adventure reality genre, the first reality TV show of this kind. It shared tough races to see who could come out on top. The show ran from 1995 to 2002 and was revived in 2019 for Amazon Prime. The original series was created and hosted by Mark Burnett, who went on to helm Survivor, and it organized small teams to compete in a race. Day in and day out, teams trekked through a 300-mile course and completed the whole gamut of endurance challenges.

Eco-Challenge was more than just a race; it was a journey of self-discovery and teamwork that undoubtedly led to the creation of Survivor.

Eco-Challenge was more than just a race; it was a journey of self-discovery and teamwork that undoubtedly led to the creation of Survivor. Contestants faced a series of crazy challenges, from mountain biking to navigating white-water rapids and hiking terrifying cliffs. Along the way, they battled exhaustion, dehydration, and fear of failure.

8 Road Rules

Premiered in 1995

The sister show to the Real World, Road Rules, premiered in 1995 on MTV and ended in 2007. With no money, young adults lived together in an RV and moved from one place to another, collecting clues and completing missions. The concept came from a road trip on The Real World, and the series established reality personas and archetypes that would surface on plenty of other shows, like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

Road Rules represented a genre still exploring the possibilities of what viewers would enjoy watching. As the show followed young adults on a cross-country road trip in an RV, the show merged the social dynamics of The Real World with the emerging survival or competition show genre explored in The Challenge or Survivor. While not as iconic as The Real World, Road Rules explored what was entertaining in the reality TV sphere.

9 A Baby Story

Premiered in 1998

A Baby Story premiered in 1998 and aired its last episodes in 2010. The reality show examined couples in the last weeks of pregnancy as they prepared to welcome their new additions. The camera crew would then dive into the delivery room and see each couple through their baby's first few weeks. What set A Baby Story apart was its intimate approach to childbirth, something that was still relatively private. Unlike other reality TV shows that focused on drama or survival, A Baby Story explored the beauty and wonder of childbirth.

From natural births to C-sections, home births to hospital deliveries, A Baby Story showcased the diversity of childbirth experiences. Each episode was a celebration of life, love, and the miracle of new beginnings. This series ushered in the birthing and family genre with shows like Birth Moms, I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, Sweet Home Sextuplets, and Doubling Down with the Derricos.

10 The Challenge

Premiered in 1998

The Challenge is one of the longest-running reality shows ever, debuting in 1998 and continuing into 2023. The show is an exciting mash-up of MTV's The Real World and Road Rules; it even included those shows' names in its title in the early years. What sets The Challenge apart is its evolving format, which always keeps things interesting. Each season of The Challenge is a high-stakes battle for supremacy, with competitors vying for the cash prize.

In this competition series, the challenges and team vary from season to season, but there are different missions contestants can complete to advance and win prizes. The individual confessionals and the group drama on this show likely inspired later series to retain those qualities. Iconic cast through the years include Trishelle Cannatella, CT Tamburello, and Johnny Bananas.