The Real World (1992) REVIEW

 

MTV’s The Real World (1992)

Season 1, Episode 1, “This Is the True Story…” 

https://www.mtv.com/episodes/o3coeb/the-real-world-this-is-the-true-story-season-1-ep-1

Dir. George Verschoor

Writ. Mary-Ellis Bunim, Jonathan Murray 

    If you’re a reality TV fan, then MTV’s The Real World is a must-see. It is known as the catalyst for what reality TV is today. The first episode follows the interactions between 7 young adult strangers who have all come to live in a NYC loft together. The show’s pilot episode focuses on Julie, who is a small-town Alabama teen who has her sights set on the wonders of the big apple. This aspect of the episode is probably what drew young viewers in. Young adults also yearning to get out of their monotonous lives could almost live vicariously through Julie. The way the episode is formatted leaves the viewers wondering what’s going to happen next. For example, when Rebecca had a gig that required her to learn a new song the day of it put viewers on the edge of their seats. It certainly left me wondering if she was going to pull it off. Aspects like these are what became the staples of a good reality tv show. However, we mustn’t forget the aspect that keeps people wanting more: drama. Being the pilot episode, it really took the opportunity to sprinkle some TV drama for the viewers. Specifically with the dance around taboo subjects like racism, drugs, and sexuality. However, there’s a reason why the first episode didn’t go overboard with the drama. It simply insinuated the drama and leaves the viewers assuming that there will be more in future episodes. 

    Considering that this episode was filmed in the 90s, the themes expressed represent the liberal social climate of New York City. Every cast member was involved in the arts whether it being music, modeling, or dancing. During this time, we saw the rise of the freethinkers especially among the young. By giving them a platform it only popularized this movement of being creative and open-minded. As I mentioned before, the episode depicted taboo subjects for the time, but by putting it out there on TV, it started a movement to normalize talking about such subjects. 

As someone who enjoys a good popcorn and reality TV combo, I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of The Real World. Being the same age as the cast made it very easy to connect to them, and I’m sure the young viewers at the time could relate to this sentiment. Personally, I can’t wait to see what happens next in these 7 strangers’ lives!