The knock against reality TV shows is that they’re only as good as their premise and producers. I think there’s more to it. Any (non-government-subsidized) TV show is an entertainment product. And, an entertainment product thrives when its entertainment-value is sustained over time. If it’s not sustained over time the show dies.
Breaking it Down based on my subjective experience as a viewer
Premise
– It is a character-driven reality tv show where people are thrown together from different walks of life. They mingle just long enough to make relationships before they have to vote each other out according to a set of rules defined by the show.
*The show takes liberties with the rules, but the core rule that people systematically exit the show following contestant votes persists.
Narrative
– Survivor operates similarly to an anthology with new characters each season, but with the same core gameplay. This creates compelling intra-season arcs driven by the cast. Then, inter-season arcs develop as the game meta evolves…check out the rest here.
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