"Where's the TV guide?" Television viewers, thou art a cruel mistress. Truman of The Truman Show has unknowingly spent every moment of his life since birth on television. He's the star of the ultimate reality show, completely immersed in a fabricated universe of which he is the center. His life has been watched by millions of people all around the world, and he doesn't even know about it until nearly the end of the film. When he finally asserts independence, that's it. The show is over. Its success depended on the novelty of peeping in one someone who didn't know that they were being watched. Once that element was gone, the devoted fans dropped their beloved Truman with unseemly rapidity. Because no matter how much viewers like a show, they are remarkably fickle and have short attention spans.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
