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The Office and 25 TV shows that were never supposed to be hits

By Kareem Gantt

MALIBU, CA - APRIL 14: Actors Rainn Wilson (L) and Steve Carell attend "The Office" 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
MALIBU, CA - APRIL 14: Actors Rainn Wilson (L) and Steve Carell attend "The Office" 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK – AUGUST 28: The Cast of The Real World – Paris arrives to the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 28, 2003 in New York City. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – AUGUST 28: The Cast of The Real World – Paris arrives to the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 28, 2003 in New York City. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images) /

9. The Real World (MTV)

Series run: 1992-Present (32 seasons/602 episodes)

Seven strangers picked to live in a house, and have their lives recorded.

That was the aim when MTV decided that it was time to expand from music videos into original programming, starting with The Real World in 1992. The premise was simple: find seven housemates who have never lived with other before, throw them in a tricked out pad, and record their every move for the next six months.

While The Real World wasn’t the first reality show to hit the scene (COPS was the first), it was the first of its format, and with anything new, it was some doubt that the show would succeed.

It did that and then some.

The show became a surprisingly huge hit among its young audience and helped solidify “reality television” as a new medium for future programming. It even spurred a spin-off, Road Rules. Back in the day, The Real World was a vehicle for pushing the conversation on controversial topics, but that isn’t what the show is now.

Today, The Real World has morphed into a horrific showcase of drama, immaturity, and moral decay, and it’s becoming clear that it’s time to pull the plug on this long-running series. While the modern seasons are a moral mess, at least we’ll have the back-in-the-day seasons, the ones that actually wanted to push young people in a better light.

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