There are many different types of TV shows, but the most common and widely diverse is reality TV. This genre also happens to have a lot of flaws.

The most obvious flaw is that there is always a certain element of fakeness in these shows. If the footage they have is not great, they will ask people to repeat actions to get better footage. A participant on Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids told 417 Bride that producers had people repeat answers to questions and continue questioning those who could cause disagreements.

To keep audiences entertained, the show must create its own drama at times. Abbie Lee Miller admitted recently on social media about fake drama in Dance Moms caused by producers.

People get stereotyped so easily as the “mean one” or the “athletic one” or the “pretty one.” While this allows the audience to remember who characters are each season, mostly on contest-type shows like Survivor, it keeps a majority of characters stuck in those roles for the whole season. It’s okay for static characters to be a lot of a cast, but it weakens the chance for character development to occur.

There is also the concepts of the shows themselves that have problems. Take the Bachelor and Bachelorette, for example. People are competing for the attentions of one person to prove they deserve a chance. This does not express what happens in most romances and isn’t establishing both potential partners as equals. It also puts the person who people are competing for at a disadvantage, because they do not get the time to actually know a person before they need to vote someone off.

Certain reality TV shows also end up on channels where they do not belong. The History Channel of all places airs Swamp People, which would fit better on a different channel. Animal Planet airs a show called Treehouse Masters that fits better with HGTV’s brand. They do this to draw in a new audience and get more views, but this also takes time away from programs that stay true to the channel’s identity.

Also, so many networks now have reality shows as their main provider of viewers, like TLC and Lifetime. Whether the shows are good or not, this may hurt the network when the craze eventually dies down and they have to find new programs to provide viewers.

The point is that good things only remain good in moderation, and when that ends the object begins to slowly decay. Reality TV might postpone its downfall if it gets its act together, but don’t bet on it.