Real TV
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2025) |
| Real TV | |
|---|---|
 Real TV title card from 1997–1999 | |
| Genre | |
| Presented by | John Daly (1996–2000) Kristen Eykel (1999–2000) Ahmad Rashad (2000–2001) |
| Voices of | Beau Weaver (announcer 1996–1999; 2000–2001) Mitch Lewis (announcer 1999–2000) Jim Pratt (announcer 2000–2001) |
| Narrated by | J.J. Johnson (2000–2001) |
| Theme music composer | Planet One Music Productions |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Mesa, Arizona (1996–1997)
Hollywood, California: Hollywood Center Studios (1997–2001) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | RTV News Inc. Paramount Domestic Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 9, 1996 – September 7, 2001 |
Real TV (commonly known as America's Best Caught on Tape)[citation needed] is an American reality television program that ran in syndication from September 9, 1996, to September 7, 2001. It aired footage of extraordinary events that were not usually covered in mainstream news.
Synopsis
[edit]Real TV usually showed home and amateur video. The types of incidents portrayed were often daring rescues, escapes, stunts, and accidents. Clips containing violence or injury were not shown often. The clips had a narration provided by the host of the show, and were commonly set to a soundtrack to heighten the drama. Other clips have included TV show bloopers, human interest stories, and inventions.
Hosts
[edit]The show was hosted by John Daly (no relation to the golfer of the same name, or the game show host) from its beginning in 1996 through 2000, with Beau Weaver announcing until 1999. During Daly's run, the series was presented in the style of a newsmagazine, with show correspondents reporting further surrounding information and profiles beyond the video clips. Featured correspondents included Sibila Vargas, Michael Brownlee, John Johnston, Lisa G., and Ellen K. William B. Davis, best known as Cigarette Smoking Man from the sci-fi TV series The X-Files, also made occasional appearances.
In season 4 of the show, he was joined by Kristen Eykel, and Mitch Lewis became the announcer.
When Daly and Eykel left, Ahmad Rashad took over for them until the show's end. Rashad's version of Real TV had a new set, introduction, and announcer. It also became more of a generic video presentation show without surrounding correspondents, and any extra profiles on the subjects done by off-camera producers. It also targeted towards younger viewers, featuring more extreme sports footage, and less focus on human interest stories and celebrities. The show was cancelled in 2001 and while most markets aired reruns until September 6, 2002,[1] some replaced it with the weekly series Maximum Exposure (which was produced under the RTV News banner).
Segments
[edit]Clip segments
[edit]Various segments were incorporated into the episodes, primarily serving to connect featured videos of a similar theme. A recurring segment was "Quick Clips," which showcased a series of brief video highlights featuring remarkable footage. Each episode of Daly's iteration included the "Real TV Quiz," which typically presented video clips of celebrities prior to their rise to fame, inviting viewers to identify them during the commercial break. For instance, Loni Anderson appeared in a 1970s TV commercial before she transitioned to being a blonde, prompting viewers to guess the identity of the talent in the quick clip. Announcer Beau Weaver narrated the quiz during the first several weeks of the show's run, after which Daly assumed the role for the remainder of the first season and throughout the second and third seasons. In the first season of Real TV, the quiz was positioned before the latter half of the show. However, it was relocated to the conclusion of the show at the beginning of the second season in the fall of 1997, with the finale of the third season marking the last episode of Real TV featuring the "Real TV Quiz."
Closing clip montage and credits
[edit]Certain clips were shown again during the closing credits, accompanied by the theme song that was prevalent throughout most of Daly's tenure. However, episodes that did not feature clips during the credits displayed the title card on a separate monitor within the studio, followed by a brief credit roll.
The initial episodes that were recorded included a clip montage during the credits, which solely featured the theme song. As the series progressed, episodes with clip montages began to incorporate the sound effects from each clip, as well as dialogue when characters spoke during those segments.
For the first several weeks of the show's run, the copyright notice at the end of the credits listed RTV News Inc instead of Paramount Pictures Corporation. Subsequently, Paramount Pictures Corporation took over the copyright notice after the initial episodes were taped.
During the third season of the show, episodes that included a complete credit roll featured the title card on a significantly larger monitor in the studio prior to the clip montage. Additionally, the 1995 Paramount Domestic Television logo was displayed on the monitor following the conclusion of the theme song.
In the final two seasons, the theme song was infrequently played during the credits, with production music being utilized more frequently than the show's theme during that segment.
Syndication
[edit]After the original run concluded in 2001, TNN (now Paramount Network) aired reruns of the last two seasons of Real TV until 2003. In summer 2003, TNN began showing reruns of the first three seasons before rebranding to Spike TV. Shortly after, the final two seasons were removed from the schedule. By 2006, Spike TV eliminated Real TV reruns entirely. From 2005, at least the first two seasons were broadcast on Fox Reality Channel until early 2008, when they were also removed. Additionally, reruns aired on WGN America (now NewsNation) in the late 2000s.