Okuzeka
Film & Television vocabulary · Television Formats and Series

Reality show

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/riˈæləti ʃəʊ/nounCore term

In film & television, reality show means: A TV programme that films real people, not actors, in real or specially arranged situations, such as competitions, dating or daily life.

In Turkish: realite şov, gerçeklik programı, yarışma programı

How it is used

The genre is called reality TV. Common types: competition shows, dating shows, cooking shows and docusoaps. Although unscripted, reality shows are planned by story producers and shaped heavily in editing. Production companies buy and sell show formats internationally.

Example sentences

  1. The cooking reality show has been on air for six seasons.

  2. Contestants in the reality show sign strict contracts before filming.

Common collocations

  • reality TV
  • reality show contestant
  • dating reality show
  • competition reality show
  • show format
  • prime timeThe evening hours when the largest number of people watch TV, so channels show their most important programmes and charge the most for adverts.
  • ratingsMeasurements of how many people watch a TV programme, used by channels and advertisers to judge its success.
  • seriesA TV or streaming programme made of many episodes that share the same characters, subject or story.
  • seasonA group of episodes of a TV series produced and released as one set, usually once a year.

More terms: Television Formats and Series

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: