ABSTRACT
Reality television is a hybrid that combines the documentary and drama formats. It is unscripted television. Many people believe erroneously that Survivor was the first reality program ever to hit the airwaves. This is not even close to being true. Alan Funt first hit the air with Candid Camera in 1948, which was followed by a string of reality-driven game shows including Truth or Consequences and To Tell the Truth . In 1973, PBS launched the ground-breaking An American Family , a 12-part series centered on Bill and Patricia Loud and their five children. The Louds were a real-life family whose problems played out on the small screen. Issues that America tuned in to see included problems within the marriage, and a son, Lance Loud, who is credited as being the first openly gay person ever to be on TV.
