Unreal

An original show with salacious character development and juicy "made for TV" story lines. If you're looking for something that'll make you think and feel good about watching with positive, happy people, then this might not be for you (Lifetime generally isn't at all like PBS). But if you, like me, hate reality TV and would like to see the gritty, honest (as honest as they can for TV) side of film making and how people behave behind the scenes to wreak drama and tension for ratings, or the shots that viewers think are "real" and not heavily edited or manipulated, then this show is for you.

If you, like Chris Harrison, is offended by UnREAL, you probably got your "competing to find true love and monetary rewards with a stranger that's being filmed" bubble burst.

Let me get this straight before I begin: unReal is disturbing and sickening and hard to watch. But that is the aim of this show.

It centers around a fictional reality dating show called "Everlasting". The show may start out slow, but by the second episode, it sinks its teeth in.

The main character, Rachel, is suffering from some sort of mental disease. It seems like she is bipolar. The show's manager, Quinn, is a complete control freak while Rachel, Shia and Jay manipulate the bachelorettes, Quinn is really the one doing the manipulating.

I like to think that this show is very similar to house of cards, and like house of cards, it seems realistic in a very strange way. I have no doubt that a lot of this stuff really goes on behind the scenes of these sorts of shows, and that is what unReal does best. The scenes that it spends showing how the handlers manipulate fights, arguments and who is eliminated really hits home hard.

9/10

This Show started off strong in the first season and I'm now kind of confused of the direction of the second season which seems to be a more or less mimicking the idea of season 1.

None the less i have to give this show some credit. Not terrible acting and a story line that is VERY different. I like this show not necessarily because of what it is but more what it represent. I would describe it as introduction to media manipulation. This concept in television has seen a really big rise lately with Scandal, Mr. Robot and House of Cards. And UnReal addresses this new idea under the light of a reality TV rather than political.

Not your top of the line big show like the previously mentioned are but now too far down the list for when you feel like a lighter show. Bonus if your guilty pleasure is reality TV and drama, you will definitely satisfy that craving with this one.

The plot line and acts of manipulation are genius. Like, scarily genius. I find myself relating to every character in some way. And through every episode, I have a complete 360 emotional response to every single character. You love them, then HATE them! (omg how can he/she do that?!) and right back to loving them; all in one episode. I've never been so addicted to a show this fast.

As a 33 year old male, Lifetime isn't where I tend to look for my programming but I actually like this show.

The cruel way that the 'actors' are manipulated is very believable.

My favorite is the boss, Constance Zimmer plays a powerful bitch beautifully.

This show is everything I generally don't like: a sequential drama with romantic subplots (and even the main-plot, kinda). But I ended up really liking it so maybe give it a try if the premise is interesting to you. Give it two episodes, if you aren't interested after that then you can probably safely pass on the rest of the season.