--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reality shows are all the rage on TV at…" description: "\"Reality shows are all the rage on TV at the moment, but that's not reality, it's just another aesthetic form of fiction.\" — Steven Soderbergh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/steven-soderbergh-2075_aesthetic_reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at_2495754.png" --- # Reality shows are all the rage on TV at the moment, but… ![“Reality shows are all the rage on TV at the moment, but that's not reality, it's just another aesthetic form of fiction.” quote by Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/steven-soderbergh-2075_aesthetic_reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at_2495754.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/steven-soderbergh-2075_aesthetic_reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at_2495754.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/steven-soderbergh-2075_aesthetic_reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at_2495754.png) > “Reality shows are all the rage on TV at the moment, but that's not reality, it's just another aesthetic form of fiction.” [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reality TV mimics real life but is crafted as entertainment, not true reality. **In simple terms:** TV shows look real but are fictional. Key Takeaway Recognize the difference between entertainment and reality. Themes media perception fiction Mood thoughtful skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - media consumption - critical viewing - content creation Key Concepts aesthetic representation reality construction Questions to Reflect On - How does this affect public opinion? - What responsibilities do creators have? A Different Perspective Audience may mistake dramatized content for truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aesthetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Form Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-fiction-1010179/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Rage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rage/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-just/) [Reality shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-shows/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv/) ## Related quotes > [Reality shows are all the rage on TV at the moment, but thats not reality, its just another aesthetic form of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at-the-moment-but-thats-not/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [the wrongs of society can be more deeply impressed on a large class of readers in the form of fiction than by essays, sermons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-wrongs-of-society-can-be-more-deeply-impressed-on-a-large-class/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [“You can't write any form of fiction unless you enjoy reading it. You must be sincere in your approach. It's no good despising the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bingham/you-can-t-write-any-form-of-fiction-unless-you-enjoy-reading-it-you/) [Charlotte Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bingham/) > [“To my mind, the most important thing in any form of fiction is the human element, but only if it takes us beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-worthington/to-my-mind-the-most-important-thing-in-any-form-of-fiction-is-the/) [Graham Worthington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-worthington/) > [Why is autobiography the most popular form of fiction for modern readers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ker-conway/why-is-autobiography-the-most-popular-form-of-fiction-for-modern/) [Jill Ker Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ker-conway/) > [The only form of fiction in which real characters do not seem out of place is history. In novels they are detestable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-only-form-of-fiction-in-which-real-characters-do-not-seem-out-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“For my purpose, the non-fiction form of abstract knowledge doesn’t interest me; the final, applied form of fiction, of story, does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/for-my-purpose-the-non-fiction-form-of-abstract-knowledge-doesn-t/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [In some ways, I think it's the closest that we come to the truth — is in the form of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/in-some-ways-i-think-it-s-the-closest-that-we-come-to-the-truth-is-in/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [Memoirs are a well-known form of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-harris/memoirs-are-a-well-known-form-of-fiction/) [Frank Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-harris/) > [I believe that if it were possible to scrap the whole of existing literature, all writers would find themselves inevitably producing something very close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-believe-that-if-it-were-possible-to-scrap-the-whole-of-existing/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Anything which must be understood by millions of people is so hopelessly divorced from how it is that it becomes a form of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/anything-which-must-be-understood-by-millions-of-people-is-so/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our stories about our own lives are a form of fiction, I began to see and become more insistent as we grow older, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/our-stories-about-our-own-lives-are-a-form-of-fiction-i-began-to-see/) [Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/) > [I preferred MTV as it used to be when it was about the music - I don't like it that now they just have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-may-jagger/i-preferred-mtv-as-it-used-to-be-when-it-was-about-the-music-i-don-t/) [Georgia May Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-may-jagger/) > [What I see of the US Presidential elections from down here makes me want to disengage from that particular reality and just hole up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/what-i-see-of-the-us-presidential-elections-from-down-here-makes-me/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [“This is the reality in just 15 years: we will no longer talk about computers, the internet, digital, mobile or suchlike, as it’s now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-skinner/this-is-the-reality-in-just-15-years-we-will-no-longer-talk-about/) [Chris Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-skinner/) ## More by Steven Soderbergh > [I was lucky that I was getting exposed to a lot of different kinds of films, and I was liking them all. So it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-was-lucky-that-i-was-getting-exposed-to-a-lot-of-different-kinds-of/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [Truth and facts have to trump partisanship. There has to be something that's true regardless of what your angle is on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/truth-and-facts-have-to-trump-partisanship-there-has-to-be-something/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [I have a friend whose theory is that you're from wherever you went to high school. I think that's mostly true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-have-a-friend-whose-theory-is-that-you-re-from-wherever-you-went-to/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [In nature, if a cell gets too big, it divides. You can't come up with a set of rules that's going to work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/in-nature-if-a-cell-gets-too-big-it-divides-you-can-t-come-up-with-a/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [You should never assume anything coming from a critical standpoint. You should go into everything assuming you're going to get crushed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/you-should-never-assume-anything-coming-from-a-critical-standpoint/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [I'm sure some people will say, 'Why do this?' And my response is, 'Why wouldn't you?' The film business in general is using a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-m-sure-some-people-will-say-why-do-this-and-my-response-is-why/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [A movie is something you see, cinema is something that’s made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/a-movie-is-something-you-see-cinema-is-something-that-s-made/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [If you're a painter and you want people to know who you are and recognize your work, you've got to build some long-term value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/if-you-re-a-painter-and-you-want-people-to-know-who-you-are-and/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [Everybody, including me, has to submit to what it needs to be. The thing is at the top of the pyramid, the best version…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/everybody-including-me-has-to-submit-to-what-it-needs-to-be-the-thing/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [A big part of making an album is that you want to have enough material - you want to have enough stuff for people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/a-big-part-of-making-an-album-is-that-you-want-to-have-enough/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [The reverberation of the freedom of making 'Schizopolis' absolutely resulted in 'Out of Sight' and everything that followed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/the-reverberation-of-the-freedom-of-making-schizopolis-absolutely/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [ I've never been a snob. It \[movie\] is just about stories. And I've never felt just because it's a big screen and you plop… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-ve-never-been-a-snob-it-movie-is-just-about-stories-and-i-ve-never/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [The ought to be a worldwide cultural taskforce that just stops you when you have ideas like combining The Red Desert with an armored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/the-ought-to-be-a-worldwide-cultural-taskforce-that-just-stops-you/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [There's definitely a way of thinking and a way of being in the South that has its advantages and disadvantages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/there-s-definitely-a-way-of-thinking-and-a-way-of-being-in-the-south/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [All I care about is the story and telling the story. I don't care how people ingest it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/all-i-care-about-is-the-story-and-telling-the-story-i-don-t-care-how/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) [Explore all 187 Steven Soderbergh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) ## More Aesthetic quotes > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We've always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-in-the-european-sense-has-always-had-a-premeditated-quality-to/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [All efforts to render politics aesthetic culminate in one thing: war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-efforts-to-render-politics-aesthetic-culminate-in-one-thing-war/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [I don't think I was ever thinking critically about my aesthetic, I think it's enough when you're little just to understand that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/i-don-t-think-i-was-ever-thinking-critically-about-my-aesthetic-i/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [I'm kind of still down with Virg Woolf on this one: "women must kill the aesthetic ideal through which they themselves have been 'killed'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/i-m-kind-of-still-down-with-virg-woolf-on-this-one-women-must-kill/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [There is a certain aesthetic pleasure in trying to imagine the unimaginable and failing, if you are a reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/there-is-a-certain-aesthetic-pleasure-in-trying-to-imagine-the/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [I try to get the hip-hop aesthetic, most times without an MC. I don't use a rapper or a DJ to give it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-glasper/i-try-to-get-the-hip-hop-aesthetic-most-times-without-an-mc-i-don-t/) [Robert Glasper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-glasper/) > [It's so important what you're doing in your life. It's tremendously important to the work, and no aesthetic theories take that into account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maus/it-s-so-important-what-you-re-doing-in-your-life-it-s-tremendously/) [John Maus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maus/) > [It is not necessary to have an extravagant food budget in order to serve things with variety and tastefully cooked. It is not necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/it-is-not-necessary-to-have-an-extravagant-food-budget-in-order-to/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) > [In reality no food is valued solely for its nutritive power and no garment or house solely for the protection it affords against cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-reality-no-food-is-valued-solely-for-its-nutritive-power-and-no/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Art is realistic when it strives to express an ethical ideal. Realism is striving for truth, and truth is always beautiful. Here the aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/art-is-realistic-when-it-strives-to-express-an-ethical-ideal-realism/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [I had always wanted to expand to beauty, but I knew I wanted to be able to translate my design aesthetic in an authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ronson/i-had-always-wanted-to-expand-to-beauty-but-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be/) [Charlotte Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-ronson/) > [I wanted the press to become something of a movement. Not a movement committed to a particular 'ism', but a gathering together of writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-metcalf/i-wanted-the-press-to-become-something-of-a-movement-not-a-movement/) [John Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-metcalf/) [Browse all 953 Aesthetic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reality shows are all the rage on TV at the moment, but that's not reality, it's just another aesthetic form of fiction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Soderbergh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at-the-moment-but-that-s-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aesthetic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at-the-moment-but-that-s-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/steven-soderbergh-2075_aesthetic_reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at_2495754.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/steven-soderbergh-2075_aesthetic_reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at_2495754.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/steven-soderbergh-2075_aesthetic_reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at_2495754.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reality shows are all the rage on TV at the moment, but that's not reality, it's just another aesthetic form…” — Steven Soderbergh", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steven Soderbergh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reality shows are all the rage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at-the-moment-but-that-s-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/reality-shows-are-all-the-rage-on-tv-at-the-moment-but-that-s-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```