From Made Up to "Made Up"

The Butsch reading addressed the idea that most television shows portray characters in the middle class that do rather well for themselves. There may be several reasons TV producers choose to focus their attention on those types of people, but the most prevalent idea seems to be the desire of most Americans to have that lifestyle.  

Obviously, not everyone can come from the middle class, however, the characters on TV with this socio-economic status have desirable lifestyles which either reflect the lives of real, middle class Americans or are a picture of desire for those who do not live those lifestyles.

These examples have been very prevalent in previous television shows, such as Friends, George Lopez and Everybody Loves Raymond. While we still see them in shows today, they tend to fall under the reality category, in shows like the Real Housewives. While the housewives may not have a lifestyle that reflects the lives of most Americans, those it does not relate to, it likely appeals to.

This shift from sitcoms shaping our perceptions of class to reality TV defining the way our culture sees class is interesting because it constructs the idea that anyone can have that “lavish” lifestyle. With a sitcom, people can walk away from the TV saying “well it’s all made up anyway,” whereas reality TV creates the idea of a truth in our culture (however scripted it may be) and “realistically” desire the lifestyles the characters live.