NEW YORK (AP) – “UnREAL” might be TV’s most fully realized reality series. Why shouldn’t it be? It’s scripted, then performed by professional actors.
Premiering Monday at 10 p.m. EDT on Lifetime, “UnREAL” arrives with what just might be perfect timing. The reality genre is cooling off (yet still embarrassing itself) as reality-based networks scramble to shore up their schedules with scripted dramas and comedies – the kind of fare that makes no false claims of authenticity and whose version of the truth is seen by all as invention.
“UnREAL” dwells in the off-camera netherworld of a dating competition show called “Everlasting,” where a handsome bachelor must choose among a bevy of hot, hopeful women each bucking for a fairytale wedding. (Sound familiar?)
The week-to-week production process is anything but romantic. On the contrary, it’s a callous game of bullying and illusion whose sole objective is outrageous narratives. That process of seduction is led by executive producer Quinn King (played by Constance Zimmer, “House of Cards”), a single-minded puppetmaster whose chief henchman is Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby, “Girls”), a young producer whose task is to cajole, badger and play on the weaknesses of the show’s participants to get the footage Quinn demands.
“Rachel gets the best sound bites and she has killer instincts for drama,” says Quinn as she plays on Rachel’s many weaknesses to keep her in line.