Novelist Sally Franson and critic Emily Nussbaum join host V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about reality television.
Franson, a recent reality TV show winner whose new novel, , is from the point of view of a woman who joins the cast of a program in that country, reflects on transforming her real-life experience into fiction. Nussbaum, a staff writer at whose new nonfiction book, addresses the history of what she calls the “dirty documentary” genre, discusses the hundreds of interviews she conducted with reality show staff, as well as the form’s surprisingly early origins and the influence of on national politics. Nussbaum and Franson trade notes on how the relationships between people on camera and people behind the camera influence edited footage; the way race was and is handled on reality television; and what it’s like to be a contestant or producer.
They also talk about poor labor conditions on sets and what that means to the genre. They read from their work. These writers’ new books tell the story of reality television, and with a former reality TV star once again leading in the polls for the 2024 presidential election — my blood pressure is going up even in this moment — understanding the appeal of this genre couldn’t be more important.
So our first guest today is a return guest, Sally Franson, the author of the novel . Sally was also a 2022 cast member of , a Swedish reality TV show about finding your roots, and her second novel, , about someone on a Swedish.
