''Real People'' is an American reality television series that originally aired on NBC from 1979 to 1984, Wednesdays from 8 pm to 9pm Eastern Time. Its initial episodes aired live in the Eastern and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

time zones. ''Real People'' featured "real people" (as opposed to celebrities) with unique occupations or hobbies.

Synopsis

''Real People'' featured a panel of seated hosts in front of a large studio audience. The hosts introduced pre-filmed segments and engaged in comedic banter about them. Each segment was a visit to someone with a unique occupation or hobby. Occasionally, someone was brought into the studio to interact with the audience. In its early seasons, ''Real People'' was NBC's most popular series, often scoring at the top of the ratings, and was a rare hit for the network at a time when NBC was a distant third in the ratings and struggling with numerous flops. Segments included "funny pictures" and funny newspaper errors sent by viewers, who then were awarded a ''Real People'' T-shirt. Regular hosts included

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, Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen,

Skip Stephenson Charles Frederick "Skip" Stephenson (April 18, 1940 – May 18, 1992) was an American actor, comedian, and musician. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated in 1958 from Holy Name High School. After attending a year at The Universit ...

Bill Rafferty William Rafferty (June 17, 1944 – August 11, 2012) was an American comedian and impressionist who hosted the game shows '' Every Second Counts'' (1984–1985, syndicated), ''Card Sharks'' (1986–87, syndication), and '' Blockbusters'' (1987, N ...

Mark Russell Mark Russell (born August 23, 1932) is an American political satirist and comedian. He is best known for his series of semimonthly comedy specials on PBS television between 1975 and 2004. His routines were a mix of political stand-up humor cover ...

, Peter Billingsley, David Ruprecht, and Fred Willard. The success of ''Real People'' led to a batch of imitators, the best known and longest-running of which was ''

That's Incredible! ''That's Incredible!'' is an American reality television show that aired on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from 1980 in television, 1980 to 1984 in television, 1984. In the tradition of ''You Asked for It'', ''List of ...

'' which aired on ABC, and '' That's My Line'' on CBS, hosted by

Bob Barker Robert William Barker (born December 12, 1923) is an American retired television game show host. He is known for hosting CBS's ''The Price Is Right'' from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American televis ...

. ''Real People'' gave fitness instructor Richard Simmons his major break into the mass media and spotlighted unique talents such as Pittsburgh Police traffic cop Vic Cianca. When repeats of the show were initially syndicated by Telepictures to broadcast stations, they were edited down to 30-minute segments and retitled ''More Real People''. In 1980, NBC launched two attempts at spin-offs: ''Speak Up, America'' and ''Real Kids''. ''Speak Up, America'' starred former child televangelist Marjoe Gortner and basically expanded the opening segment of ''Real People'' (in which audience members were encouraged to sound off about any topics they wished) into a full hour program. ''Real Kids'' starred Peter Billingsley and a cast of child hosts in a format that mirrored ''Real People'', but focused only on kids. Both spin-off formats quickly failed, though Billingsley went on to join ''Real People'' as a recurring host and contributor. A one-hour retrospective special aired on October 1, 1991, with hosts Sarah Purcell and Fred Willard.

Ratings

In popular culture

The show was spoofed on '' Sesame Street'' with "Real Grouches", hosted by

Oscar the Grouch Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character created by Jim Henson and Jon Stone for the PBS/HBO children's television program ''Sesame Street''. He has a green body, no visible nose, and lives in a trash can. Oscar's favorite thing is trash, as eviden ...

who described his show as a program that "searches the world for interesting real-life grouches and brings them right into your living room." A 1980 '' Saturday Night Live'' episode spoofed the show, alongside contemporary hit ''

'', in a sketch titled "Real Incredible People". Here, the hosts are astounded by mundane individuals, such as a woman who reads before going to bed and a Japanese man who eats raw fish. '' Doonesbury'' character

Zonker Harris Zonker Harris (his full name is revealed in '' Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy'' to be Edgar Zonker Harris) is the stereotypical unfocused confused hippie character in Garry Trudeau's comic strip ''Doonesbury''. He made his first appearance as a p ...

was featured on the show in his capacity as a professional

tanner Tanner may refer to: * Tanner (occupation), the tanning of leather and hides People * Tanner (given name), * Tanner (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *The Tanner Sisters, also referred to as "The Harbingers of Weir ...

. '' Mad Magazine'' parodied both ''Real People'' and ''That's Incredible!'' with "That's Real Incredible, People!"

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0078676, title=Real People NBC original programming 1970s American reality television series 1980s American reality television series 1979 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings English-language television shows Television series by Telepictures