christinecomito 's review for:

Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum

3.0

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Deep look at reality tv from the beginning -- before tv! Before Candid Camera, there was Candid Microphone, and other radio shows that had callers telling their stories trying to win prizes. Nussbaum takes a deep look at the various stages of reality tv over the decades. The last quarter or so felt really jumpy because she'd share all the ins and outs of one show over years then go back in time to start telling about another series. There was a lot of focus on the contestants and crews and producers and not much on the audience perspective. As I started to get tired of all these details, she moved on to the Apprentice and the previous detail allowed her to get this level of commentary on Trump without seeming like he was the only bad guy in television.