|
|
|
'The Will' (Oh, yes)
Coming to ABC, squabbling over the family jewels
By Heidi Vogt
Reality shows follow a set format: Take a bunch of strangers, put them in a difficult situation, and make them compete for a gigantic prize.
Now let's flip the formula around a bit. Our contestants are in a difficult situation and they are competing for a gigantic prize but they are not strangers.
They are family members and friends.
Their difficult situation is vying for the affection of a loved one, a well-heeled loved one. The gigantic prize is--you've guessed it by now--a whack at said loved one's estate.
Nothing brings a family closer to implosion than the emotion- and often greed-laden struggle to be remembered fondly in a will of someone wealthier than oneself, and this very potent chemistry is to be the theme of a reality show in the works for ABC.
Working title, fittingly: "The Will."
Details at this point are still being fleshed out, so to speak, as "The Will" is broadly outlined by its producers it will turn into a very public game the art of currying favor for gain.
Audiences are expected to howl in appreciation.
“Everyone can relate to the types of disagreements or emotion that comes with families,” says Kathryn Price, coordinating producer for “The Will.”
“People will find it interesting to watch how another family handles that in a unique situation.”
The show, slated to debut sometime next year, will revolve around the “benefactor,” an as-yet-to-be-chosen wealthy American who has to decide how to divvy up his or her estate among family members and loved ones.
“We’re looking for someone who is a little bit rich and a little bit eccentric, with a sense of humor,” says Price.
The benefactor will then choose eight to 10 candidates to compete for a chunk of the estate.
There will be physical challenges, family trivia games, and opportunities for the contestants to prove how much the family means to them. As the show progresses, contestants will be voted off the show, eliminating them from the will.
Fascinating, but some people say this type of manipulation of family ties crosses a moral line that shows like “Temptation Island” don’t even come close to.
“I find this premise more disturbing than [other reality shows],” says Melissa Caldwell, director of research and publications at the Parents Television Council.
“You’re encouraging family members to backstab and manipulate, which many of these reality shows inevitably do. It’s potentially a very damaging situation for the family.”
The show’s producers say “The Will’s” intensity of emotion is exactly what will make it good television.
“On a lot of shows it takes a few weeks for people to develop any sort of emotion. Here they come with a lifetime of baggage,” says Price.
She expects to see all the typical inheritance battles, from children squabbling to resentful in-laws to possibly a benefactor that decides to screw the family and give all the money to charity.
But “The Will” may end up being a lot more intense than the same situation is in real life, says Jeffrey Condon, co-author of the book "Beyond the Grave, the Right Way and the Wrong Way of Leaving Money to Your Children and Others."
“Usually every child has an expectation of being treated fairly and equally in the inheritance arena,” says Condon.
“Here the expectation is that ‘I need to be first.’ It changes the dynamic. It’s not about fairness. It’s about the ability to turn one family member against another.” At the same time time, Condon says when “The Will” premieres he’ll be watching. He wouldn’t want to be one of the contestants, but he’s fascinated to see what happens.
If earlier reality shows are a precedent, Condon’s reaction is more the norm than not. Everyone loves to hate shows like “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-millionaire,” “Temptation Island,” and “The Bachelor.”
But of course viewers tune in, which is what executive producer Mike Fleiss is counting on.
“I hope some people hate it and protest and scream and jump up and down,” says Fleiss. “Shows are successful when they become water-cooler topics and I think this is one of those things.”
But Susan Hajny, broadcast research manager at GSD&M thinks the show actually could be too crass for the American public.
“It’s one thing to watch ‘The Bachelor’ and the dating games of people,” says Hajny. “It’s quite another to watch family backbiting. It’s not funny.”
Hajny says if the show’s appeal lies anywhere it’s with a younger audience.
“I think it’s going to be a tough one to put together and a tough one to sell to advertisers and to viewers,” she warns.
October 31, 2002© 2002 Media Life
-Heidi Vogt is a staff writer for Media Life.
Printer-Friendly
Version | Send
to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact
Us