Reality shows 'cause dip in TV roles'

Reality television is responsible for a fall in the number of roles available to US actors, a new survey reveals.

15:09 09 October 2005

Reality television is responsible for a fall in the number of roles available to US actors, a new survey reveals.

According to the US Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the number of small screen parts available to its members dropped by almost ten per cent, or nearly 3,500 supporting roles, in 2004

The SAG research found that the number of reality shows soared by around 46 per cent last year, while the number of TV roles plunged from 37,954 in 2003 to 34,431 in 2004. SAG revealed that the number of lead roles remained fairly steady, while supporting roles dipped sharply.

The actors' union survey said the four main US networks scheduled an average of 5.1 extra hours per week of non-scripted shows, compared to 2003, including sports, news, variety and reality programmes.

SAG president Alan Rosenberg said: "The statistics this year are again disturbing and the industry must begin to address this downward trend. The displacement of scripted series by reality programming continues to be a severe obstacle to a working actor's ability to earn a living."

The study, compiled from data sent in by producers, also showed that the majority of supporting role losses were for white actors, down 2,127 from 2003. There was a small dip in the number of black and Latino actors employed and a small increase in roles for Asian and Pacific Island actors last year.