Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?
Genre hybridity is the combination of two or more genres. For example, the film ‘Back to the Future 3’ combines the genre of science fiction with the western genre (Oxford Reference, n.d.). We have seen genre hybridity many times in the film industry with having romantic comedies and spoof horrors. Reality television is no different and has come up with many hybrids such as docusoaps, docudramas and docu-soap surveillance (Smith, 2020).
Over the many years that television has been in existence each genre has come further away from the rooted rigidness that once defined them. To put it in simpler words, all genres are at some level hybrid and what was once categorised has been interlaced (Wood, 2004). Woods (2004) wanted to study the hybridity of reality TV and began by dividing television four ways; fact, fiction, entertainment and advertising. Each way can and has created reality in their own way.
Fact, meaning factual programming refers to programmes such as “the news, current affairs, documentaries, practical advice shows and religious broadcasts” (Woods, 2004, p.47). These programmes focus on broadcasting evidence based national and international current affairs rather than opening the floor to interpretation (Woods, 2004).
Fiction, is exactly as it sounds like. These programmes often offer “television shows, drama, feature film, and some forms of comedy” (Woods, 2004, p.47). The characters and events that are in these sources of entertainment don’t exist in our world and only make sense in their own imaginary one.
Entertainment, show people who exist in and outside the source of entertainment. These people act how they usually would within the set of entertainment. Gaming shows, musical acts, talk shows, variety programmes, broadcast sport, and some forms of comedy (probably live comedy), are the entertainment side of television. Its reality but with a theatrical spin on it (Woods, 2004).
Lastly, advertising which is used to sell materialistic products in under 60 seconds. Every advertisement is designed to offer something that could live within your home and outside the television world. Advertisements shift reality and they redefine how our life would like with this product (Woods, 2004).
These four ways are further split and combined with other genres. Wood (2004) calls them reenactment, diversion, absorption and infomercial.
Absorption introduces the combination of reality and situational reconstruction. These reality tv shows include but aren’t limited to shows about law enforcement, medical and emergency services, dangerous stunt shows, natural disasters and the supernatural. The premise of this combination of fact and fiction is to present factual situations that have been reenacted to create more excitement and the lines blur between what is fact and what is fiction (Wood, 2004).
Infomercials are like advertisements except much longer. They will have people demonstrate and make testimonials around the product and why you should buy it. Infomercials combine advertisement with fact (Wood, 2004).
Diversions are people who are being themselves whilst in a seemingly normal setting. It combines entertainment and fact, for example, home video compilations, behind-the-scenes content and bloopers.
Lastly, re-enactments are films that are based on real people or real life events that use techniques often reserved for fictional pieces. The lines between reality and fiction blur as this hybrid takes creative liberties in constructing a narrative (Wood, 2004).
As shown above hybrids between genres is already bountiful in the entertainment industry. By showing how reality tv has hybrids between fictions, fact, entertainment and advertisement as well as divulging deeper into how modern day reality tv has developed through infomercials, absorption, re-enactment and diversion. It has only gone to further understand how genres and rigid categories are a system of the past and that maybe genres need to be expanded to encapsulate all the new types of entertainment being created.
References
New Zealand Television. Media, Culture & Society, 45-62.Oxford Reference. (n.d.). Hybrid genre. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20111108103413377
Wood, B. (2004). A World in Retreat: The Reconfiguration of Hybridity in 20th-Century
Pop Genres 2020 