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January 19, 2009 | By: Liz Tobias
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something … TRUE??
If you’re within a 1000-mile radius of me, you probably know I’m getting married. And maybe it’s just that I’ve never noticed before, or maybe it really is a new, influx of programs, but there sure are a heck of a lot of wedding-related programs out there in TV land!
The appeal of a wedding certainly isn’t new to television – for years we’ve been tuning in to the fashion, the glamour, and romance of celebrity weddings. But more recently, a new take on weddings has started emerge. WE turned the wedding genre on its head with its hit series BRIDEZILLAS. TLC has SAY YES TO THE DRESS, while Heidi and Spencer (aka “Speidi”) brought their nuptials to MTV not only on THE HILLS, but the recently-aired BRIDAL BOWL featuring 4 live weddings on New Year’s Day.
And of course, I watch each and every one of them, enthralled. Which got me thinking, what’s the real appeal of these shows? What keeps the soon-to-be-brides (and so many others?) tuning in week after week?
It all comes down to good storytelling. And there are arguably few other days in one’s life that can involve more high-stakes drama than a wedding day, which has elements of love and romance (a marriage!), tension (will the groom say “I do” to his adoring Bridezilla?), and money (“Flowers cost what?” –my fiance). It can turn seemingly boring couples into raving lunatics – which makes, of course, for great television.
And I have a pretty good feeling that even post-wedding, my interest in wedding television isn’t going away any time soon. I’m part of a larger, captive audience of married women, single women, and soon-to-be-bridezillas that will never let the genre die. I think it’s here to stay … for as long as we all shall live!
Read past entries by Liz Tobias
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michele said,
January 22, 2009 @ 6:51 am
Which got me thinking, move over Carrie Bradshaw. Great writing. I enjoyed reading about YOUR take on weddings.
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Maury said,
January 22, 2009 @ 11:50 am
Hi Liz, I continue to enjoy your take on cable TV shows, especially when you include your personal connections to the specific ideas being presented. May I suggest to you that life goes on after the wedding day, and that provides you with new avenues of entertainment to consider. When hubby is in the next room, you might use the opportunity to grab a blanket, a glass of tea, and the TV remote and start tuning in such shows as “The Real Housewives of Orange County” on Bravo, and then watch them transform into the “Desperate Housewives” on network television. Later, perhaps, “Married…With Children” (your choice, of course), which has a different take on married life, and is now in reruns. Whatever you choose, good luck in your forthcoming marriage and your future tv viewing.
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Liz said,
January 22, 2009 @ 11:57 am
Thanks, Mom & Dad.
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