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Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV

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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 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. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House (June 25, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525508996


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 91


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.5 x 9.55 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #29,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #12 in TV Shows #15 in TV History & Criticism #51 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences


#12 in TV Shows:


#15 in TV History & Criticism:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Fake It Till You Make It
This book is a remarkable deep dive into a topic that might at first glance not to seem not worth it. But, with our democracy dying in the klieg lights of television, it could not be more timely or important. Author Emily Nussbaum covers a 70 year span in this book, beginning in the 50s, with Queen for a Day; then into the 60s with Candid Camera, the 70s with the Gong Show, which she shows were wildly influential in developing reality TV even before the term existed. Reading this book is more like reading a collection of short stories than a novel. (Not a criticism, just an observation.) I was surprised at how much of the material covered seemed quite familiar to me, as honestly, I don't watch a lot of it. My idea of reality TV is sports and game shows. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was probably the only show discussed that I actually followed. Nussbaum makes the point that Queer Eye was more about empowerment than humiliation; maybe that was the appeal to me. But the blockbusters, Survivor, American Idol, The Apprentice, The Amazing Race, were all so heavily advertised that I felt I knew what was going on. One chapter on the PBS show, American Family, honestly did drag a bit, getting bogged down in shot for shot detail of the show, but the rest of the book moves along with the swift pace of an epic. Highly recommended. I think I have found an author I will be reading again. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2024 by Brian Lewis
    • Delivery was super fast!
Stay tuned, just getting into it….it’s wordy but interesting.
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024 by Deborah Currie
    • Interesting History of Realty TV, then Succumbs to TDS
I have long been interested in "reality TV" and this book provides a very good overview of the early days of the genre, tracing it all the way back to its origins on radio in the late 1940s. All of this was very interesting, and I learned a lot. I have memories of watching "Queen for a Day" when home from school sick and I was a big "The Gong Show" fan during its hey-day. The background on "An American Family" and "The Real World" was also fascinating. I'm a huge "Survivor" fan and reading again about the Borneo season was like a return to Summer 2000. Even the takedowns of the Bravo! shows and the "Bachelor/Bachelorette" were well done. But all through the early parts of the book, there was foreshadowing about the last chapter on "The Apprentice" and Donald Trump. And Ms. Nussbaum certainly lived up to the foreshadowing with that chapter. The TDS showed as brightly as the "cued Sun" of her title. But reading her Wiki bio, it couldn't have been anything else. While a chapter on "The Apprentice" and Mr. Trump is appropriate for a book of this type, I felt it diminished the overall product to be as much of a polemic as it was. I read the entire book before I realized that the author was the TV critic for "The New Yorker" although I did say to myself at several points that the book read like it was a LOOOONG New Yorker article. So I'm happy to see that my belief was justified. I'd have like to read more about other reality TV genres such as the entire HGTV empire or shows such as "Trading Spaces". A chapter on such shows as "Deadliest Catch" or the entire set of Discovery Network shows set in Alaska would have been appreciated. But perhaps shows set in Waco, TX or Dutch Harbor, AK is too far afield for the bicoastal elite audience of the author. If you're interested in how Reality TV became what it is, then read this book, but beware the biases of the author. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2024 by DCThunder
    • Great Hollywood book!
Very interesting topic, well written, great insider information as well.
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2024 by Lori
    • 4 very real stars
Emily Nussbaum writes a well-organized, extensively researched (more than 300 interviews) history of reality TV. She starts from the origins of reality radio.) Some of the shows covered are The Gong, An American Family, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Survivor, Big Brother, The Bachelor and the Apprentice. Detailed sources for each chapter are listed in the extensive bibliography. The author uses strong imagery when writing. “As reality shows bubbled up like lava, the genre’s undercurrent of exploitation intensified…” “The Bachelor was a more immersive experience, like being trapped inside an erotic terrarium, lulled by floating rose petals. In a world of tacky, The Bachelor was a fancy show.” I hadn’t realized that the producers of The Bachelor encouraged excessive drinking with little food for the contestants. Nussbaum notes that because there were no porta-potties, a few contestants hiked up their ballgowns and peed on the side of the road. Reality show editors made “Frankenbites,” using bits of dialog to fabricate entirely new sentences. Because ‘industry standards’ prohibited anyone from writing dialogue, crew members used “manipulation, getting people to say and do things without letting them know you were doing it.” No wonder I am not a big fan of reality TV. I don’t appreciate mean and humiliating. I learned a lot about the tacky and raunchy genre. “”Casting a reality show had become a science, down to the thick contracts contestants signed, granting editors total control. There were dedicated hotels near the airport where new casts stayed, so they could go through the gauntlet of interviews and psych tests. …Swishy gay men got cast for comedy, or sometimes to ignite a clash with a homophobe. Producers would pick one or two Black players, but not more.” ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2024 by Debable
    • A detailed entertaining history
I’ve been a longtime fan of Nussbaum’s work, and I was really looking forward to this book. She did not disappoint. A detailed, thoughtful critique of a controversial genre of television. At the end of the day however, the book tended to reinforce, rather than challenge, my belief that reality television is a morally and intellectually bankrupt medium created for the tastes of the morally and intellectually bankrupt. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2024 by Kindle Customer

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