Cricket's 60 favorite TV shows

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I haven't seen My Name is Earl in forever. I wasn't crazy about it, but I didn't see a lot of it... I think. I'd be interested in seeing it again.



A long time ago my friend showed me a few episodes of My Name is Earl. It was kinda funny but wasn't quite interested enough in seeing beyond the episodes he showed me.



Of course you're getting rep for that last entry. Wrong Angel, but still. If and when I ever get around to posting the HK version of this, you know that that's going to be very, very high up.

I liked My Name Is Earl, but it wasn't anything I really cared about. I think I saw the first season, maybe more and after that I'd just see individual episodes here and there. It's an easy watch, though.
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5-time MoFo Award winner.



Cricket - my problem with your choices #41 & 40 is that these were shows presented as "Reality TV," but were staged using actors.

I'm not questioning the entertainment value of the scenarios (however, I'm the type of person who, if I found out none of the reactions on the old Candid Camera show were real, but everyone filmed was an actor who was completely in on the joke, then I'd no longer find it funny or entertaining - the humor was in real reactions of real people who didn't know they're being filmed.)

Of course all "reality" TV is staged to a certain extent, but what I mean is, at least the people and items on shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers are real (even though the meetings and negotiations are set up, rehearsed and staged) whereas the two shows you mentioned pretty much focused on confrontations which were made up for the show and used actors as opposed to real people.



Captain Steel-

I know at least in the case of Lizard Lick and Hardcore Pawn, they are real businesses and not actors. However, these shows are in fact largely scripted.



Actually, I think I misunderstood you. The stars are not actors, but they do sometimes use actors in the situations they encounter. This is not a problem for me as I have no illusions concerning the reality aspect.



Captain Steel-

I know at least in the case of Lizard Lick and Hardcore Pawn, they are real businesses and not actors. However, these shows are in fact largely scripted.
I'm not an expert, nor have I researched the show's backgrounds, but I believe you're correct - that the shows concepts were based on the real-life occupations of their creators. I know the guy on "Hardcore Pawn" ran a pawn shop as I heard him on a radio interview.

This is the same case as Pawn Stars & American Pickers as well - these are both based on the real life businesses of the shows' creators or "stars" .

The problem is that most of the shows featured on the TRU TV network don't show real events or even real people that were involved in situations that may have been based on real events. Most of it depicts negative confrontations played up with threats or dramatizations of violence (which appeals to audiences) presented as real. My beef is that none of it is real. I might have watched these shows if they showed real encounters.

It's kind of like - I just finished watching the survival series "Alone." Now, if I found out the guys on the show were going to hotels each night for a shower, a hot meal and a nice bed, then I'd find it pointless to watch a show supposedly about guys surviving in the wilderness.



I certainly don't disagree with any of that, and some people will also have problems with a movie based on a true story that takes liberties. That's not something that ever bothered me.