The Remote Island

MTV Makes "Ground-Breaking" Foray Into Scripted Shows With "HSM" Parody

Posted by Lindy Parker

 

After nearly a decade of an MTV programming lineup that was chock-a-block full of every conceivable kind of reality show ranging from the unsettling (My Super Sweet Sixteen) to the uwatchable (Next, Parental Control) to the oddly satisfying and underappreciated (Fast Inc.), the cable network has announced plans to take a wacky step and produce scripted shows. 

“We’re going to apply the same tenets of creativity and genre-busting to scripted comedy that ‘Laguna Beach’ used to makeover the documentary,” said MTV head of programming Tony DiSanto. “It makes sense as a progression for us when a lot of our shows like ‘Run’s House’ and ‘The Hills’ look scripted to start going forward with actual scripted shows.” (Live Feed)

There are so many weird things about this quote, it's hard to know where to begin.  First of all, why is he acting like MTV has never produced scripted shows before -- Undressed, anyone?  Second, is Laguna Beach really genre-busting?  Third, the idea that The Hills and Run's House paved the way for whatever MTV has on the agenda doesn't bode well for the future. 

Nevertheless, MTV's first forray into the allegedly uncharted waters of scripted comedy is a High School Musical spoof based on the online series Private High Musical...

Does it make us painfully un-fun to admit that we have a limited tolerance for pot jokes?  We've got Half-baked -- we're good, no?  Quota filled.  Regardless, we can't say we'll be sorry to see less reality television on the MTV lineup, so while we're not quite buying it as a "new" idea, we feel like it's a step in the right direction.


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Posted Mar 12 2009, 04:30 PM
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About Lindy Parker

Lindy Parker has worked as a ghostwriter, editor, dance instructor and a purveyor of dreams, one beer at a time. She now writes for nerve.com's TV blog, "The Remote Island." She loves Charles Dickens and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and also, straight-to-video releases with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It's possible she reads more teen fiction than she should. She hails from Los Angeles, her hometown and soul mate, but she lives in Brooklyn, the fling she'll never forget.

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    Lindy Parker has worked as a ghostwriter, editor, dance instructor and a purveyor of dreams, one beer at a time. She loves Charles Dickens and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and also, straight-to-video releases with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It's possible she reads more teen fiction than she should. She hails from Los Angeles, her hometown and soul mate, but she lives in Brooklyn, the fling she'll never forget.

    Olivia Purnell left Ohio for sunny Los Angeles; then found that she couldn’t ignore New York City’s call, and brought herself to Brooklyn where she has worked with GenArt, BlackBook, the School of American Ballet, and finished an M.A. in Creative Writing from N.Y.U. She loves one-liners with sting and hates the stench of the subway in the summer. That said, she can’t get enough of either.

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