[rileymat2]

Did reality TV begin with Real World on MTV? What about shows like "Cops"? I think that predates Real World.

[delecti]

I feel like it's worth distinguishing between reality TV with a consistent cast like Real World, and those without like Cops, which is almost more like a documentary in that sense.

I'm not sure how I'd make the distinction clear though, because stuff like "Ghost Hunters" feels a lot more like the Real World kind, despite being (ostensibly) more like a documentary.

[ArkyBeagle]

Could be - I'm not sure. Wikipedia says 1990 for COPS, 1992 for The Real World, so yeah.