Uploaded November 2017 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
On April 18, 1979 at 8pm a new kind of television series was born. The format was so different no one had a way to describe it yet. The New York Times said it blurred the lines between news and entertainment. Producer George Schlatter agreed and called it "theater of reality.” In the days before the internet and YouTube, everyday people were given a spotlight for the first time. The show brought people around the country closer as it celebrated accomplishments big and small, the quirky, the challenged, and in some of its best moments, paid tribute to real life heroes in the military. Defying description, Real People went on to become a huge hit for NBC during its five years, giving rise to many imitators and eventually creating the genre, reality television.
On April 18, 1979 at 8pm a new kind of television series was born. The format was so different no one had a way to describe it yet. The New York Times said it blurred the lines between news and entertainment. Producer George Schlatter agreed and called it "theater of reality.” In the days before the internet and YouTube, everyday people were given a spotlight for the first time. The show brought people around the country closer as it celebrated accomplishments big and small, the quirky, the challenged, and in some of its best moments, paid tribute to real life heroes in the military. Defying description, Real People went on to become a huge hit for NBC during its five years, giving rise to many imitators and eventually creating the genre, reality television.
