Youth Talk

I admit it. I am a television show addict.

Atypical of many teenagers my age, I simply love TV shows.

Though sad to admit, if you were to ask what I would be doing on a Thursday night I would simply confirm that I would be binging on a new season of Homeland or Modern Family.

I sincerely admire television as anartistic platform. The content and subject matter of many shows reveal a lot about present society. Additionally, TV shows can be used to promote social dialogue or change. For example, the success of one of my favourite shows Jane The Virgin has demonstrated how Latino Americans deserve to be recognised asmore than just the stereotypical gardener or maid.

More relevant, however, is the fact that TVallows us to escape from the mundane reality of everyday life. For a good 45 minutes or so, we can forget our own personal problems and watch others deal with their own.

So, in lieu of my love for television, I have decided to devote my next few columns to TV shows every (mature, over 16) reader should definitely check out.

Show number one: UnReal. This truly fascinating show pulls back the curtain on a fictional reality show, similar to The Bachelor. Through the eyes of protagonist producer Rachel, we are exposed to the awful deeds that happen behind the scenes of a fictional dating show called Everlasting.

Rachel returns to the show following a breakdown during the previous season. In cahoots with the show’s ruthless Executive Producer Quinn, we slowly see Rachel disintegrate even further.

The contestants, all of whom are confident, beautiful young women, are all pitted against each other and, in order to increase ratings, Rachel and the other producers feed them false information. For example, one contestant is told the other girls are making fun of herbulimia, causing a massive fight on camera, much to Quinn’s satisfaction.

We see the extent to which the producers are willing to create drama, when one of Rachel’s rivals swaps a bipolar contestant’s medication with stimulants.

I applaud UnReal for its addictive nature,the personal lives of the producers are just as intriguing as the on-screen drama they create.

This Emmy-nominated show has really changed my opinion on reality shows. While most of us regard the chaotic drama being genuine, it is more probable that the sets of The Bachelor resemble UnReal’s more than we would like to admit.