Those of us who worship at the altar of reality television have Jerry Springer to thank (or to blame).
Springer was an early pioneer of reality TV. His show was the beginning of the end of television as the world once knew it. You didn’t need to be talented or interesting or rich or even beautiful to garner attention. He brought a new kind of intrigue and voyeurism on to our screens – he showed people to people as entertainment.
He made ordinary humanity extraordinary: shouting, screaming, even, on occasion, violence featured on his show
Despite beginning his career in politics, working for Bobby Kennedy before becoming the mayor of Cincinnati, Springer was best known for the self-titled Jerry Springer Show which ran for 27 years. Initially the show was straightforward: it focused on social and political issues. As the ratings grew the absurdity of the storylines grew.
In every episode, Springer created a sort of theatre of life.
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