The leading unscripted decision makers across the broadcast networks and major streamers gathered Friday at Deadline’s inaugural Reality TV Summit, where they talked up the health of the genre and called on producers to bring them ideas that weren’t “derivative.”
Netflix’s VP Unscripted Jeff Gaspin, Amazon’s Head of Nonfiction Series Jenn Levy, Walt Disney Television’s EVP Unscripted and Alternative Entertainment Rob Mills, CBS’ EVP Alternative Programming Mitch Graham, Bravo and Peacock‘s EVP Unscripted Content Rachel Smith and Fox Entertainment Studios Head of Unscripted Programming Allison Wallach sat down to discuss.
“I think it’s a really exciting time,” said Levy, who revealed that she has already started putting some projects into development after joining earlier this year.
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“Love Island is like the biggest buzzy show on TV. It’s all anyone can talk about. It’s great to see shows like Traitors pop through. I know I shouldn’t be talking about other people’s show, but I don’t have much of a slate, so it’s okay. But to see what’s happening with Summer House and the buzz, and what Rob has done at Hulu, I just think it’s an incredibly exciting time,” she added. “It’s a contracted market, but when you have a show that is buzzy and digital and talkable, there is an audience, and that feels great.”
NBCUniversal’s Smith said that Bravo just had its biggest ever quarter on Peacock. “There’s a lot of growth, and I think, there is contraction, but really there’s a lot of exciting ideas. Like Jen said, when you get that, that whole ecosystem and the social world engaged, and you create some urgency, nothing feels bigger. It’s very exciting,” she added.
Netflix’s Gaspin said that it’s better than it has been. “It’s still very healthy at Netflix. It really hasn’t changed much for us. We started about 10 years ago, and we really haven’t stopped. Understanding what’s gone on in the marketplace, really, that that cable buying spree has really slowed down and Bravo is one of the few channels that has really kept a robust marketplace but in terms of Netflix, we’re certainly buying and as healthy as we’ve ever been,” he said.
CBS’ Graham said that unscripted is a priority for the network. “We still consider it a strength. It’s an exciting time. We obviously have Survivor 50, and it’s rare to be a part of something like that,” he added. “[Unscripted’s] always been a priority for us, and something that we’ll continue to invest in.”
Mills highlighted the fact that Survivor was one of the “trailblazers” and is still on the air. “Dancing With The Stars had a resurgence this year, that has been great. Then we’re also growing new formats with things like Traitors and Love Island. I think it’s actually in a better place than it’s been in quite awhile.”
Wallach said that unscripted has “always been a super important part of the fabric” at Fox. “I think it helps that our CEO is a passionate former show runner and loves the genre. It’s nice to see people taking chances and trying new things. You go around the world and you see some people who feel no one’s taking real risks, and it’s all traditional old IP, but I feel like there’s a lot more [exciting new things] happening now,” she added.
All of the executives wanted producers to bring them ideas they hadn’t heard before.
Gaspin highlighted shows like The Circle. “We just want shows that take more chances. We want to be bolder and we want to hear things we haven’t heard before. It’s hard to specify, because if I knew what those were, I would do it myself.”
Levy added, “Innovate on the familiar.”
“We don’t want to be derivative, so we want to see stuff that we haven’t seen before and we haven’t imagined before,” said Smith. “On the Bravo front, it’s finding friends and groups of people and organizing principles, where there is real, authentic connections, like Rhode Island works because those women went to primary school together.”
CBS’ Graham wants universal themes. “I think you have to find shows or ideas that start a social conversation outside of the show. It’s incredibly important, like we see it on Big Brother, for example, which is basically live 24/7 throughout the summer. It’s something that everybody’s talking about around the clock. When you think about the creative for a show, what’s going to be that driving thing outside of the creative format,” he added.
Fox’s Wallach concluded, “I would just say the stuff that works in social, the stuff that goes viral is stuff that’s taboo. What I would love is to find an unexpected taboo. I think how excited I was about Age of Attraction. That’s what I would love to hear more of.”