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Title details for Cue the Sun! by Emily Nussbaum - Wait list

Cue the Sun!

The Invention of Reality TV

by Emily Nussbaum
Gabra Zackman
Audiobook
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The rollicking saga of reality television, a “sweeping” (The Washington Post) cultural history of America’s most influential, most divisive artistic phenomenon, from the Pulitzer Prize–winning New Yorker writer—“a must-read for anyone interested in television or popular culture” (NPR)

“Passionate, exquisitely told . . . With muscular prose and an exacting eye for detail . . . [Nussbaum] knits her talents for sharp analysis and telling reportage well.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
In development as a docuseries from the studio behind Spencer and Spotlight

ONE OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE AND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe
FINALIST FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION
Who invented reality television, the world’s most dangerous pop-culture genre? And why can’t we look away? In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of “dirty documentary”—from its contentious roots in radio to the ascent of Donald Trump—Emily Nussbaum unearths the origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who built 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.
In sharp, absorbing prose, Nussbaum traces the jagged fuses of experimentation that exploded with Survivor at the turn of the millennium. She introduces the genre’s trickster pioneers, from the icy Allen Funt to the shambolic Chuck Barris; Cops auteur John Langley; cynical Bachelor ringmaster Mike Fleiss; and Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim, the visionaries behind The Real World—along with dozens of stars from An American Family, The Real World, Big Brother, Survivor, and The Bachelor. We learn about the tools of the trade—like the Frankenbite, a deceptive editor’s best friend—and ugly tales of exploitation. But Cue the Sun! also celebrates reality’s peculiar power: a jolt of emotion that could never have come from a script.
What happened to the first reality stars, the Louds—and why won’t they speak to the couple who filmed them? Which serial killer won on The Dating Game? Nussbaum explores reality TV as a strike-breaker, the queer roots of Bravo, the dark truth behind The Apprentice, and more. A shrewd observer who adores television, Nussbaum is the ideal voice for the first substantive history of the genre that, for better or worse, made America what it is today.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    June 25, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593593530
      • File size: 437673 KB
      • Duration: 15:11:48

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 29, 2024
      In this boisterous chronicle, television critic Nussbaum (I Like to Watch) charts unscripted television’s evolution from Candid Camera’s 1948 premier through the first season of The Apprentice in 2003. Shedding light on the genre’s progenitors, Nussbaum argues that the cinema verité PBS documentary series An American Family (1973), which chronicled the foibles of an affluent California family of seven, established the reality soap opera format that MTV’s The Real World (1992–present) later popularized. Nussbaum profiles the “amateur sociologists, gleeful manipulators and shameless voyeurs” who pioneered the genre, describing The Newlywed Game creator Chuck Barris as a braggadocious P.T. Barnum–esque figure with a tenuous allegiance to truth (one of his memoirs implausibly claimed he’d been an assassin for the CIA). Detailed interviews with cast, crew, and producers provide juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits about the making of such shows as Big Brother, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and Survivor, whose inaugural season almost collapsed amid allegations that a camera operator attempted to tip the competition by dropping a Clif Bar for a contestant to find. The most shocking stories reveal the ethically dubious strategies producers use to gin up drama. For instance, one Bachelor producer recalls needling a bachelorette about her eating disorder until she cried, and then editing the footage to “make her look like a hysterical stalker.” It’s a rowdy and unsettling look at how reality conquered television.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Gabra Zackman's narration fully embodies a balance of deep insight and affability--a perfect fit here. Nussbaum's approach to the topic of reality television transcends the usual narrative history as it captures key social commentary of programs unique to their time and place. The audiobook traces a detailed timeline from PBS's "An American Family," considered a touchstone of the modern reality show, to "The Gong Show" and "The Dating Game" and their notorious reputations, then "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," with the latter's infamous impact on current American politics. The genre has been a boon for networks, the shows often cheap to produce. Zackman's voice is gently entertaining and always engaging, guiding listeners through this fascinating history of modern pop culture. S.P.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      September 13, 2024

      Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic Nussbaum (I Like To Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution) offers a comprehensive chronological investigation of the evolution of reality television, reaching as far back as radio call-in shows and 1948's Candid Camera. Nussbaum examines reality television's impact on entertainment history from the perspective of industry professionals, divulging the industry's best-kept secrets and analyzing its trends and significant milestones over the years. From the very beginning, with a precarious start in radio and a dramatic climb to popularity with The Real World and Survivor, reality television was always a polarizing form of entertainment. Audiences have been fascinated, even as creators struggled to get the shows into production; the stars indelibly impacted the future of television. Narrator Gabra Zackman skillfully navigates interviews with crew members, producers, and the participants. Her confident, matter-of-fact tone creates an engaging listening experience, making this detailed, descriptive breakdown read like a gossip magazine. VERDICT Nussbaum's well-researched and philosophical discussion of the impact of reality television reveals the influence that it has had, not only on the entertainment industry but on society as a whole. Insightful, unsettling, and thought-provoking.--Autumn Wyatt

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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