New York City is the ultimate backdrop for reality TV. Do we ever stop to think that the show “The Real Housewives of New York City” features only one woman, Luann de Lesseps, who is actually a wife, and none of them are stay at home women who would fit the category of “housewife”? But still since “Desperate Housewives” captured the prime time audience, reality shows have gone wild with coming up with storylines for the “wives” of various locales. If these high society women weren’t jetting off to luxurious locales and attending fundraisers they would be quite boring. There is only so much “Turtle Time” one can take. How about we keep the location and take a look at other reality shows that would feature everyday New Yorkers in the act of being themselves?
The Real Public School Teachers of NYC
Sure they work hard in challenging conditions but when the faculty room door shuts out the students, some heavy drama ensues. Anyone who has worked as a teacher (or lives with one) knows that there is a teacher hierarchy and lots of backbiting and sabotage behind the scenes. Who has to pull bus duty and who are the “golden teachers’ who eat lunch with the principal? The former prom queen who doesn’t know her high school days are over meets the recent grad with a temporary certificate who loves stirring up a steaming pot of jealousy at the in-service meeting. It all goes down academic style when the Real Teachers of New York City keep it real outside the classroom.
Manhattan Waitress
Waitresses are usually relegated to sitcom status (Remember “It’s a Living?”) or relegated to invisibility on reality TV. Yeah, it’s all about the chefs on reality shows, but what about the waitstaff? Having worked as a waitress in NYC I can attest that there are many interesting characters and scenarios just dying to be caught on camera. The aspiring actress, the tip stealer, the one who sleeps with the boss while smiling demurely when his wife strolls in, and of course, the endless competition to get the best station. That would be some great TV!
Slumlord
Lots of NYC real estate investors are stuffing their pockets while their tenants suffer intolerable conditions. The camera would confront the absentee landlord with his or her crimes and then they would have to spend the night in the run-down property. Sounds like “The Super” right? Well not really as there would be no dancing to “Hammer Time” with the streetwise building occupants. The end of each episode would show compensation made to the victims and stiff fines for the offenders.
Breaking Way Off Broadway
So many hopefuls arrive in NYC hoping for that big break. So much money and time spent paying for headshots, auditioning in dingy theaters, and then, that magic moment happens when someone is cast in an avant-garde production of “Cats” where all of the felines have fleas or some other angle that made someone think the play would be a good idea. Following the lives of those who left their nice home in the Midwest to live in roachy kitchens while they trip the lights not so fantastic in the big apple.
Fulton Fish Market Hotties
Those guys who handle the fresh catch of the day to sell are quite buff. They might not smell so great, but these muscular fish wranglers have dreams just like the rest of us. How do these men find love when they have to get to sleep early each night to start work at dawn? Take a break from Manhattan and go up to the Bronx to get a glimpse of life at this world famous wholesale market.
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