Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV

by Emily Nussbaum

Who invented reality TV, the world’s most dangerous pop-culture genre, and why can’t we look away from it? In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of “dirty documentary,” Emily Nussbaum unearths the surprising origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who created it. At once gimlet-eyed and empathetic, Cue The Sun! explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake.

Nussbaum traces four paths of reality innovation—game shows, prank shows, soap operas, and clip shows—that united in the Survivor format, sparking a tumultuous Hollywood gold-rush. Along the way, we meet tricksters and innovators—from the icy Allen Funt to the shambolic Chuck Barris; Cops auteur John Langley; Bachelor mastermind Mike Fleiss; and Jon Murray, the visionary behind The Real World—along with dozens of crew members and ordinary people whose lives became fodder for the reality revolution. We learn about the tools of the trade—like Candid Camera’s brilliant “reveal” and the notorious Frankenbite, a deceptive editor’s best friend—and the moral outrage that reality shows provoked. But Cue The Sun! also celebrates what made the genre so powerful: a jolt of authentic emotion.

Through broad-ranging reporting, Nussbaum examines seven tumultuous decades, exploring the celebreality boom, reality TV as a strike-breaker, the queer roots of Bravo, and the dark truth behind The Apprentice. A shrewd observer who cares about television, she is the ideal voice for the first substantive cultural history of the genre that has, for better or worse, made America what it is today.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Pop Culture, Tv, Book Club, Sociology

464 pages, Hardcover

First published June 25, 2024

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am worried about Emily Nussbaum. She clearly needed to watch thousands upon thousands of hours of reality TV to write her book, Cue the SUN!, and I am seriously worried what that can do to someone's mental health.

If you love reality TV, then this review is simple. You must read this book and you will absolutely love every page. If you hate reality TV, then guess what? You and I are in agreement. I hate reality TV. Unless Gordon Ramsay is in it, then it should win an Emmy. All others are trash. All that being said, I still loved this book.

The reasons why everyone should love this book are evident from page 1. Nussbaum's writing style is easy to read, and it feels like a conversation. Also, I am not kidding about how much reality TV she must have watched. She is utterly meticulous, and she consistently brings up events that have long been forgotten. And I mean long forgotten. Nussbaum doesn't start with a show like Survivor. Instead, she traces the roots of reality TV all the way back to the 1940s and works her way to today. The chronology is seamless and a chapter on a show called An American Family is a particular standout. If you aren't keen to go back that far, then you are missing out. However, Nussbaum quickly gets to all the shows you know and love (or love to hate).

There is no way to write this book without inevitably touching on some political hot buttons. The Apprentice was a show after all and is the subject of the final chapter. As someone whose tolerance for political diatribes is zero, I think Nussbaum is fair with her subjects throughout the book. Yes, I don't think it is hard to pick out what side Nussbaum herself is on. However, multiple times I read a chapter and thought, "Hm, I think one extreme would be mad about this part of the chapter, while the other extreme would be mad about another." In the end, Nussbaum's research is so extensive and so well presented that it doesn't matter what side of the aisle you fall on. A great story is just a great story.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Random House.)

[Meghan Moroney · Rating 3 out of 5]

some chapters had me really interested, others not so much … wish the book had more details on the societal implications of reality tv rather than the creators/producers behind the shows.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book left me with a hangover that felt like I’d just binge watched every episode of reality TV ever.


As a good GR friend suggested to me - sometimes it’s best not to know how the sausage is made. That precept definitely applies to this book! Although I’m not the biggest reality TV fan and in fact realized as I was reading that I haven’t seen a ton of it - I’m more interested in it as a cultural phenomenon - this book left me unexpectedly depressed and grossed out and was not the lighter read I’d expected. It is definitely not a fan’s perspective, it is not whimsical or funny, nor is it a cultural history: it really is an attempt to historically recount how the reality TV sausage was made, and it was a Jungle out there for sure.


The book begins with an attempt to frame audience participation game shows; the boom in increasingly outlandish and vulgar daytime talk shows like Maury and Sally Jessy; and the rise of “candid camera” type shows like America’s Funniest Home Videos and Cops as the earliest ancestors of reality TV. You can decide if you think this argument flies - it was interesting, but I don’t know if I was fully convinced.


Next, the book moves into a discussion of An American Family, thought to be the first true documentary-style reality TV show. I understand this needed to be included, but I’ve read a lot about this show already and it’s depressing and no longer super interesting to me. More my speed as a true member of the MTV generation, the next section deals with The Real World, although mostly only Season One, which is presented as a sort of artifact of a (relatively) more innocent and authentic time in the genre’s evolution.


From there, the book moves into a discussion of more overtly “produced” TV “reality”. Speaking of jungles, a giant section of this book - like a book within a book, representing hour upon hour of audio listening - deals with Survivor, a show I’ve neither watched nor care to. This was a toil for me to get through, as was the next and also lengthy section on Big Brother, another care not/watch not show for me. I’m not entirely certain why these two shows merited quite as much focus as they did and I think it would have been better to focus on a wider variety of shows (more on that later).


In contrast, even though I have also not watched The Bachelor or really any reality romance shows (see, why was I even reading this book, I wondered at times?), it made perfect sense to me that this show became the next focus of the book, especially given the show’s many descendants that consume people to the present day, such as Love Island (not mentioned in the book at all, although Joe Millionaire is the other similar show that gets a curiously lengthy discussion).


The section of the book dealing with The Bachelor and reality romance is where things really started to get icky, with a lot of disturbing content and revelations, including enduring “Reality Reckoning”-style problems related to sexual discrimination and harassment, substance use, mental health, and racism. This only continued with a section of the book dealing with “at work”-type reality shows, in particular mostly The Apprentice. I probably don’t need to spell out for you the gross, #Me Too-y and other upsetting types of disclosures that this section of the book spawned. However, it was very interesting from a “WTF is wrong with us as a country, and how did we get here?” perspective.


The book wraps with a way too short and also very interesting chapter on Bravo, but specifically mostly on the show Queer Eye For the Straight Guy (a surprisingly - if again relatively - uplifting segment in a real downer of a book), which, along with the only very briefly discussed Project Runway, helped lead the Bravo revamp. (Did you know it was originally a channel meant to show actual opera, ballet, and orchestra performances?!)


In general, the book seemed to end abruptly, with some curious decisions made with regard to content and focus throughout. Many shows you’d expect to see covered were basically only name-dropped or mentioned in brief, such as American Idol, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Drag Race, Chopped, America’s Next Top Model, or anything to do with Real Housewives or most other shows on Bravo or channels with often similar content like TLC. (Talk about a revamp! - the Learning channel, really?!) And many, many specific shows or even broad categories of shows are not even mentioned at all. (Also - could not help but note that despite efforts here and there to discuss diversity, the shows in the book are all super white, definitely one of the main offenses of the genre, and it would have been great to focus more on what diversification of reality shows has been able to take place thus far.)


However, given the unwieldy topic and the true Pandora’s Box that it turned out to be, lots of dismaying moral decrepitude included, I still think the author did a good job trying to impose some order and sequence on disorder and rampant proliferation. I can only imagine how overwhelming and distressing and messy this thing was to write if I felt how I did when and after reading it.


Consider any innocence I may have had lost: sometimes the sausage ingredients are confirmed just as awful as you feared.


One last suggestion might be a sort of annotated bibliography or appendix listing all the “for further study” reality shows - even the truly bad ones, which are also important - that might appear in or adjacent to each of the categories modeled by the shows focused on.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Like other 'lowbrow' art forms - comic books, horror films, pornography - reality television has often been treated as a substance sold under the counter, less an art form than a drug, powerful because it was forbidden . . . But the discomfort that has always radiated around these shows - their nosiness, their brutality - isn't an argument for looking away from them. It's a reason to look closer." -- from the intro

Although the concept (and/or the phrasing) of 'reality TV' would seem to a be squarely 21st century sort of product, it is sort of startling to journey back towards the post-WWII days and observe just how often these types of shows have been present on what Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton Minnow once called 'a vast wasteland.' Author Nussbaum documents the history of these types of shows - from those early innovators like 'Candid Camera' and 'Queen for a Day' in the late 1950's, to 'An American Family' and 'The Gong Show' which respectively bookended the 1970's, to 'Cops' and 'America's Funniest Home Videos' arriving on scene at the dawn of the 1990's, and then straight into the present-day overabundance on the major network and second-string cable channels - in her sometimes fascinating and frequently engrossing Cue the Sun!, with its sly title pilfered from dialogue in the critically and commercially-acclaimed 1998 movie 'The Truman Show.' The narrative was excellent when focusing on the historical / pop cultural aspect in the early or formative years, and then into the reasons for the modern-day glut of shows (arguably, with 'Survivor' first kicking open the proverbial door back in that oh so innocent summer of 2000) now seemingly dominating the U.S. airwaves. Some of the text became a little too politically divisive for my tastes in the final chapters - one man was made an easy villain and granted ample page time, while another (responsible for some even worse things) was oddly sort of dismissed with only a few paragraphs - but the book still often works in that sometimes unusual way where it is consistently readable, whether you like OR loathe its subject matter. I'll just read about it, thanks. 😆

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're curious about how reality TV became such a huge part of entertainment, Cue the Sun by Emily Nussbaum is worth checking out. She takes you through its history, starting with early shows like Queen for a Day and The Gong Show, all the way to big hits like Survivor, Big Brother, and The Bachelor.

Nussbaum also looks at how reality TV has shaped pop culture, influenced audiences, and sparked debates about ethics in production. She digs into what it’s like for the people who work behind the scenes, including their fight for better conditions and union rights.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or just curious about how reality TV changed entertainment, Cue the Sun is a fascinating read that gives you both fun behind-the-scenes stories and deeper insights. – Diana F.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Reality television is cinema verite filmmaking that has been cut with commercial contaminants, like a street drug, in order to slash the price and intensify the effect."

The only reality television I have ever watched more than a short clip of is Top Chef, Project Runway, Season 1 of Survivor, and the first two seasons of The Real World. I enjoyed those offerings, but have never seen anything else that tempted me, and have seen a number of clips I found repellant. I find that continuous schadenfreude gets old and dull, and also makes me feel pretty lousy about myself, sprawled on my couch judging others and participating indirectly in unhealthy behaviors. And so I was not sure I would like this, though I enjoy the author's work in the New Yorker, and when I read those pieces I nearly always find them brilliant and insightful.

Happily, this was as well researched and reasoned as Nussbaum's other work and it tells us a great deal about where we are at this cultural and political moment, how we got here, and how comprehensively fucked we are. We allowed that slow boil, about 70 years of heating with a constant rolling boil for the past quarter century, to kill our understanding of what is right and acceptable. This is devastating cultural commentary, but it is also often funny and always informative. I have already pressed this on my son. (My new "E's Book Concierge" shelf was started at his behest so if you are interested in what books I force on my 20-something a list can be found there.) I can't force this on others, but I urge y'all to get your hands on a copy.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the history of reality television, focusing on the shows and creators who changed the game. I couldn't stop listening to this, was absolutely spellbound. The shows I didn't know I learned all about, and the shows I'd seen I found all kinds of new information about. A lot of the people who made reality tv what it is are just as sly and immoral as you'd expect, the ethical questions presented by reality television--from privacy to consent to labor--are continually examined through the decades.

We basically stop in the late 00's, and while I know the book is about the "invention" of reality tv I would have happily continued to see how it's changed and shifted in the decade or so since.

Audio is perfectly serviceable, but for me it's the perfect kind of book to do on audio, a nonfiction where you learn a lot, have fascinating stories, and won't get bored.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never watched any of the current reality shows like Survivor or The Bachelor. But I’ve always been fascinated by how they draw such large audiences. Cue the Sun took me back to the 60s and 70s and earlier shows that I do remember watching, like Candid Camera, The Dating Game or the Newlyweds. Thanks to this book, I now have the earworm of The Candid Camera’s theme song stuck in my head.
It shows how four different types of shows - game shows, prank shows, soap operas and clip shows merged into the current day psuedo unscripted reality show. The book provides a clear progression of how the genre “advanced”. Among the most interesting insights was how the cast members became more aware and began to play roles, some even willingly becoming the villains of the show. But it also shows how the directors manipulated the contestants and how tawdry, crude and mean some of the shows were. One director even coined the phrase “Frankenbite” to mean totally fabricating what someone said to provide more drama. As the book went on, I found myself becoming more and more disgusted at the tricks that were played and how low the film executives stooped. Some of the shows became a Rorschach test on American ethics. Does anyone remember a reality show about torture? It was called The Chamber.
The one show I don’t remember, which had a major impact, was An American Family, a documentary on a single California family in 1973. It spawned shows like The Real World. These shows were among the first to have openly gay individuals on air.
I was fascinated to learn about the horrible working conditions for the staff - the low pay, the hours, the lack of benefits and how poorly their efforts to unionize worked out.
The book ends with a discussion of The Apprentice and how they transformed Trump. I did see that executive John D. Miller apologized to the American public this past October for mythologizing Trump.
Nassbaum has done an impressive amount of research, interviewing many of the major players, some of the older ones right before their death.
I listened to this and it kept my interest throughout.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

definitely very well researched but I was falling asleep at the wheel here im so sorry

[Jill S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only book about reality tv that matters. Favourite read of the year.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Road trip audiobook! I was driving with my daughter, and this was an easy choice to agree on as we both have an interest in reality television.

Emily Nussbaum really digs into the roots of this genre, going back to radio shows in the 1940s that eventually transitioned to TV. She then travels up through the years, usually going in depth for two to three major shows every decade, often recapping the first season as she shares information she got from interviewing many of the original cast and crew members. I was familiar with a lot of the older programming, but Nussbaum's insight managed to hold the interest of my daughter who was born long after many of the shows had even faded from reruns.

Nussbaum traces a few themes through the book, noting how the genre evolved from tricking unsuspecting dupes to working with or even being manipulated by students of the art who are strategic and branding savvy. She also digs into the morally questionable producers and demonstrates how the worst offenders are often the ones getting the highest ratings, twisting reality with staging and editing that evokes wrestling's kayfabe. She shows concern for the psychological trauma caused to the casts from relinquishing their privacy to the onslaught of insta-fame, lingers on the well-being of the non-union crew members working behind the scenes in very chaotic environments, and touches on the steady presence of racism in who gets cast or how they are presented in the final cut.

It's a long listen, but I never got bored.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:

Introduction. Better Write That One Fast

Spaghetti Against the Wall: 1947-1989
1. The Reveal: Queen for a Day and Candid Camera
2. The Gong: The Filthy, Farkakte Chuck Barris 1970s
3. The Betrayal: An American Family
4. The Clip: America's Funniest Home Videos and Cops

The Rev Up: 1990-2000
5. The House: The Real World
6. The Con: The Nihilistic Fox '90s
7. The Game: The Invention of Survivor (and Mark Burnett)
8. The Island: Survivor: Borneo
9. The Feed: Big Brother

Cue the Sun: 2001-2007(ish)
10. The Explosion: Reality Blows Up--and Becomes Industry
11. The Rose: The Bachelor and Joe Millionaire
12. The Wink: Bravo and the Gentrification of Reality TV
13. The Job: The Apprentice and the End of Reality Innocence

Epilogue. Fake It Till You Make It

Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index

[Stuart Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have zero interest in reality TV, but love Emily Nussbaum’s writing. The moral of the story: when in doubt, embrace great writing.

This is a thoroughly affectionate but clear-eyed history of reality TV, whose roots go back to the 1940s. Nussbaum doesn’t fawn over the genre, nor does she look down her nose at it. She explains the appeal, that spike of revealing, true moments (as opposed to “reality”) that grip viewers. Along the way you get profiles of every major producer, director, contestant and bachelorette, bringing to life the thrill of making art (or at least entertainment) on the fly with no money and less respect. Nussbaum makes a connection between reality TV and outsider art and punk rock that is novel and, once considered, undeniable.

For such a thorough history, there are whole swaths of time that are covered in paragraphs, but all the key players and shows are covered in revealing detail.

What I love most about Nussbaum is her utter respect for TV, and her understanding that it has its own rules, its own rhythms. She talks about TV for what it is, not what some aesthete thinks it should be.

I don’t know that I’ll dive into the deep end of the reality TV pool, but having read this wonderful guide, if I jump in, I’ll be fully prepared to look at it with an open mind.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advance copy.

[Lauren]

DNF. How was this so boring? I’m a huge reality TV fan and generally enjoy most books written on the topic. And I enjoyed Nussbaum’s book about scripted TV. This was too dry; she didn’t seem to have the passion for reality tv that she did other TV.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating semi-behind the scenes look at the invention of reality TV, from its beginnings in shock radio in the 1940s to the torrid rise of the TOTUS' political career.

I have never really been a fan of unscripted (imagine heavy quotation marks around that) TV, but this was just riveting to listen to. So much drama, so many bad ideas, so many questionable and downright immoral ethical choices all for the sake of getting people's attention.

An interesting book to finish on this particular day.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV was not at all what I’d expected when I picked up this book (nor, would I imagine, most people expected). Then again, had I read a bit more into the reviews, I may have known that I was about to take a majorly deep dive into what nearly all of us deem “guilty pleasure” at best, and “trash TV” at worst.

I just remember thinking: how serious can a book be that’s written about the Kardashians, Survivor, Big Brother, Real Housewives, etc.? Apparently, very serious.

Nussbaum begins as early on as radio talk shows, which featured audience participation - be it in the form of marital advice, pranks, contests, etc. - she argues that *this* was the advent of the first “reality genre” - paving the war for what was to ultimately develop into television, and into reality shows as some actual form of polished entertainment.

I’m not so sure I subscribe to that argument. That everyday people wanting their “fifteen minutes of fame” on radio shows (where they could maintain anonymity with the secret thrill of knowing they may be the subject of millions of listeners’ attention) translated into the voyeuristic shows of today, where reality stars have become celebrities in their own right, often attempting to use reality TV and the role they “lean into” as a way for future and further fame.

I can’t say it wasn’t interesting and that Nussbaum didn’t do a phenomenal job writing about everything already mentioned prior, to Candid Camera, the original “reality series” An American Family, America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Real World, The Bachelor, The Simple Life, Queer Eye, Newlyweds, The Apprentice - and the effects that show had not just on television, but on producers’ abilities to package their subjects - in this case, a failing businessman with a brash personality, the brunt of many a joke in New York business circles - into a “successful business tycoon” that would go on to become the world’s first reality President.

It’s incredible … incredibly scary, really - how much the media can sell an image of someone as something they’re not, to the point where it was even bought hook, line and sinker by the American public. And of course I don’t know if it’s irony or not, but Trump accusing the mainstream media of constant deception… well, maybe he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth too much, that’s all.

Aside from the political talk (which was necessary, because the chapter on The Apprentice WAS the final chapter and quite lengthy, as well, talking all about reality TV’s role in literally shaping US politics) I felt that as well-researched and well-written as this book may have been, it was just way too detailed for my taste.

I suppose that it could still serve as very interesting reading for many (even those, like me, who don’t watch reality TV) - but be prepared to hear about every single reality show that’s ever existed, and incredibly detailed reporting about many of them - which quite honestly, didn’t hold my attention too well. I found the chapter on Big Brother and the debates on the ethicality of it all to be the most interesting chapter by a long shot.

2.75 stars, rounded up.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounding up— I enjoyed this! a clear history of reality tv’s evolution through the decades, less cultural commentary than I expected, loved the chapter on Survivor but most of the others were less interesting/about content I wasn’t familiar with

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Cue the Sun!, Emily Nussbaum takes a deep dive into the history of reality television from a US-centric perspective. The modern shows she profiles most extensively include The Real World, the Bachelor, Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?, Big Brother, Survivor, The Amazing Race, American Idol, Project Runway, Queer Eye, The Real Housewives of Orange County, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Apprentice, and a handful of satirical shows including Joe Millionaire and the Joe Schmo Show (though sadly, she didn't discuss my favorite satirical show, the WB's Superstar USA, which only ran for one season for obvious reasons). Several of these shows lasted only one season/one episode (some for very obvious reasons), but even in the instances of shows that have run for 20+ seasons, Nussbaum really only focuses on the inaugural season, for better or worse. In the course of this 464 page book/15 hour audiobook, Nussbaum also interviews and profiles producers, show creators, behind-the-scenes crew, and on-air talent - it's clear that this effort took a huge amount of time - so this book is informative though I caught at least one major fact-checking error (when discussing Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Nussbaum incorrectly mentions that Kim Kardashian was married to and divorced from Nick Lachey -- that's Jessica Simpson).

Overall I was hoping for more focus on the reality TV shows I've watched over the years (The Mole seasons 1-2 remain my holy grail -- here's a poorly-copyedited but interesting book released by the season 2 mole: Reflections of the Mole), but found that content sorely lacking. But in fairness, even in 15 hours, it's impossible to feature everything; many of the shows she chose were because they were seminal in some way during their era, though a few of the picks were more niche and aired outside of major networks, so they may have just represented Nussbaum's personal interests (Queer Eye, the Joe Schmo show, etc.). In fairness, my reality show interests are probably quite niche as well.

It'll be interesting to see what the future of reality TV, if any, is in this age of social media and influencers where anyone can post content starring themselves online and hope to garner an audience.

Further reading:
True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us by Danielle Lindemann
When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV by Brian Stelter
Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, well researched investigation on entertaining subject (despite itself), At times it slogged a bit, taking its time, but that is just further evidence of how deeply Nussbaum went into her subject.

[Tanja Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about reality tv and how it came about. It started much earlier thank you would think, but became its own genre only in the 00’s. I can still remember being amoured by it, watching everything from Survivor to Bachelor to Idols and the real housewives of Beverly Hills (I even saw the episode that has been immortalized in a meme with a hysterical participant pointing a finger and the picture of a cat in a suit in the other side). I am ashamed to say that it didn’t occur to me that the reality it showed wasn’t real at all. There was so much footage that almost any story could be angled from it. Always a villain, an underdog and someone who deserved to win but didn’t.

The most interesting chapter is the one on “the Apprentice”. The show had to make the faded glory and near bankrupt Trump look good. They did such a good job that the lying piece of **** who knows exactly how to play the media to his advantage already has one period as a president and is likely in for another. Nevermind that he is a liar, cheat, unsuccessful capitalist and instigated a coup when he lost the election last time. Reality tv once made him look good and it stuck. I have seen a couple of seasons of “the Apprentice” and can attest to it myself.

I no longer watch reality television - with exception of a long time running show on experts helping people out of personal economic disasters. “Lyxfallan” in Swedish, “luxury trap”. Although most of these people are just poor and have made a few bad decisions, rather than notorious over consumers. I watch it on the treadmill, when the weather is too inclement for outdoor running. I watch it for the same reason as most - to feel good about myself. That I am at least not quite as foolish as the people on screen.

[Basic B's Guide · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is a staff writer for the New Yorker and previously a tv critic. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 for Critism.

Who invented reality tv? The author takes us WAY back (to the 30's and talk radio) and explores the evolution of the genre. It's incredibly researched, nostalgic and eye-opening.

Reality fans will delight. You will love hearing behind the scenes of some of your favorites including; Big Brother, Bachelor, Survivor, Real World, Real Housewives, American Idol and so much more.

4 paths of reality innovation are covered - game shows, prank shows, soap operas and clip shows.

I cannot wait to go back and read her previous book - I like to watch.

This was a long audiobook at over 16 hours but well worth my time.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best parts of reading a book like this is judging what shows the author includes or omits. While TV critic Emily Nussbaum has a more expansive view of what is considered reality TV, I mostly agreed with what she featured in this comprehensive history. She covers shows from 1947 to 2007ish—I was surprised the genre started that early. On the flip side, she didn't include shows like A Simple Life, TLC's slate of Wedding Story/Baby Story/What Not to Wear, or most of MTV's lineup beyond Real World. There's no way to cover everything but Nussbaum also devoted two entire chapters to Survivor so there was definitely room to do more.

These shows have changed the television landscape and society alike. Just think about Kardashian face! There's not much by way of editorializing, though the author has a perspective. I do wish there'd been more of an exploration around the ethics of reality TV. While there's no sugar-coating the amorality of most people who are in charge, I wanted to go deeper into the ecosystem of these shows, both the production side and participants. And even the ethics of those of us who enjoy watching these shows. This is something my friends and I have discussed more and more in recent years. Do we become complicit with our viewing habits when it comes to certain shows? Do networks and producers have any responsibility with the people they cast and the lines they cross? What about the ways they perpetuate bigotry? The last chapter covers Trump and The Apprentice which touches on some of this but it's largely presented without comment.

While I wanted more from the book, what I got was a fascinating read, whether I was familiar with the featured show or not. I'm glad reality TV is getting its due, for better or worse.


Content notes: child physical and sexual abuse, sexual predation, image-based sexual assault (contestants didn't know or consent to intimate moments being filmed which were aired without their knowledge; teen contestant filmed himself having sex with a girl who was two years younger and then showed the video to friends, the girl then put up images of him from the video at the train station in retaliation), sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, suicide, PTSD, nervous breakdown, bipolar disorder, psychiatric hospitalization, alcoholism, substance abuse, drug trafficking, contestants who turned out to be sex offenders or murderers, workplace abuse, physical assault, war/military deployment, copaganda, officer-involved shootings, police violence, N-word (stated by Trump), racism, internalized racism, xenophobia, Orientalism, homophobia, internalized homophobia, people who are closeted, homophobic slurs, transphobia, sexism, misogyny, objectification, ableism, disabled contestants, ableist slur, classism, AIDS/HIV, cancer treatment, parasites and fungus in organs, COVID-19, death of contestants and crew or their loved ones (including heart attack and cancer), fatphobia, fatshaming, dieting, Donald Trump (chapter), animal abuse, infidelity, divorce, child support issues, STI stigma, 9/11, alcohol, inebriation, excessive drinking, recreational drug use, Adderall, marijuana, cigarettes, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction

[AndiReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE reality shows, from Survivor to the tacky-tacky Below Deck. The idea of reading Pulitzer Prize–winning New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum's trestice was something I could not pass up!

Nussbaum is able to pull off an amazing feat - she provides the long history of Reality Tv, including the lore we have heard, the facts that we have not and all of the experimentation that lead to what millions watch today.

Nussbaum covers the heroes of the genre including Allen Funt and Chuck Barris, John Langley as well as more well known Mike Fleiss,Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim. She also discusses the early stories including An American Family, The Real World, Big Brother, Survivor, and The Bachelor - all which are the elders of what we watch today! She is always bracingly honest but treats the genre with the seriousness it deserves - we all know plenty of people who love to watch. This is a honest and enjoyable history of my favorite genre and what is has wrought on our society (see The Apprentice). Highly Recommended!
#randomhouse #cuethesun #emilynussbaum

[Susan Tunis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been interested in watching reality television. Quite the opposite. And yet, I like reading both fiction and non-fiction on the subject. Emily Nussbaum's book exceeded my expectations.

First, I think of reality television as a relatively recent phenomenon, i.e. Survivor. Nussbaum quickly shows otherwise, going back to the earliest days of television, before my birth, and very much programming I watched as a child. Queen for a Day, Candid Camera--The Gong Show for goodness sake! Her write-ups of various programs, personalities, trends, and eras, were astute and just very interesting. Reality television is a broader subject, more reflective of the culture of the times, than I ever gave it credit for.

Listen, I still don't want to watch it, but I could envision rereading this book at a later date. Highly recommended!

[Caroline Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I read this book as I’m sure the author intended: right after finishing the latest season of Love Island UK. Fascinating read that I’d recommend to both enjoyers and haters of the genre !! Would love to go have lunch with this diva some time. Shoutout to everyone who’s put up with me spouting reality TV fun facts all week & to Clara for joining me in starting Survivor s1.

[Eva Femia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love reality tv and it’s clear that ms. nussbaum does too!!

a single demerit for not mentioning love island even once

[Elizabeth Sholtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly screw every man who has ever invalidated my love of reality television

[Books Amongst Friends · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute the Sun by Emily Nassbaum was a real letdown for me. While it does provide some intriguing behind-the-scenes details and starts strong with a history of reality TV, it just misses the mark when it moves into the late '90s and beyond. This book feels more focused on the production companies and specific people who made certain decisions than on the broader impact reality TV has had on culture. Nassbaum barely addresses how reality TV has blurred the line between audience, cast, and character or reshaped our views on fame and celebrity.

Shows like Road Rules and The Challenge get passing mentions, mainly to highlight the success of Bunim/Murray, and Making the Band is only discussed as another one of their projects. Instead of exploring the evolution of reality TV and how it’s influenced our expectations, the book just dips into surface-level points. There are occasional glimmers of insight into how reality TV reflects real life and vice versa, but these moments are rare.

The author’s background as a critic is evident, but it comes across as detached rather than an appreciation of reality TV’s cultural impact. What really bothered me was the emphasis on Survivor as a “game-changer,” while glossing over earlier shows that paved the way. Shows that bridged entertainment and reality, like TRL and TMZ, also get little attention, even though they shaped how we view celebrity culture.

Nassbaum’s coverage feels incomplete and occasionally disconnected from the broader cultural shifts reality TV has caused. Important shows like The Hills, Laguna Beach, and Flavor of Love are missing, while The Apprentice and Trump’s involvement are given attention. This narrow focus on certain figures, often from a Western and white perspective, overlooks how reality TV has influenced diversity and representation on screen.

In the end, I give this book 2.5 stars. I can respect the research and the author’s background as a critic, but it wasn’t the in-depth, culturally aware examination of reality TV that I was hoping for.

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Cue the Sun” is apparently a line from the Truman Show (I saw it in the theater, but thought it was heavy handed and never watched it again).
This history of Reality TV is so interesting. I like to read about the progress of culture, and this is huge. Nussbaum dates the beginning of reality to the early 1930s, people calling into radio shows and telling their stories. Then came Alan Funt with Candid Microphone which became Candid Camera. Then game shows, dating shows, Chuck Barris. Then in 1973 American Family. Then, in 1992, MTV’s The Real World. Then the reality explosion happened.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

so so good. i’ve watched survivor since i was 10 and didn’t realize that it was such a fundamental show to the reality tv genre influencing so many shows after. also this book took twice as long to read because i had to stop multiple times a chapter to youtube the specific shows / moments she was referencing. also i commend the amount of research completed for this book the bibliography was beautiful.

[William Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important analysis of reality television--a much bigger and more impactful phenomenon than commonly understood.