Satire has rarely hit so close to the truth as it does with the TV series Unreal.
The Lifetime series Unreal is pitch black comedy/drama skewering the idiocy and obviousness of realty TV dating shows. I would not be shocked to find out that some of the writers for this series actually put in time on shows like The Bachelor and have lifted scenes and characters from real situations. Unreal centers on Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby) who plays an ambitious staffer on the show Everlasting, who is under the thumb of her unethical boss, Quinn King (Constance Zimmer) who executive produces and created the show. The “eligible bachelor” all of the women are vying for is a wealthy British businessman (Freddie Stromer), recently disowned by his family, seeking salvation via a U.S realty show.
The cast, constantly manipulated by the show’s staff, is brilliantly filled out by would-be suitors that is just as cynically crafted as the real realty dating shows (the crazy model, the unstable cougar, the innocent Southern girl and the token minority boxes are all checked off).
Appleby and Zimmer are brilliant in their roles, but the soap opera storylines, complete with plenty of venomous humor, is what actually steals the show here.
Unreal – Season 1/2 DVDs/440 Mins./Lionsgate/2016 / https://twitter.com/lionsgate