Reality TVis not a safe space for the faint of heart, nor for the legally challenged. Individuals that are invested in controlling their public image and the narrative produced about them often struggle to face the reality that the cameras catch everything, and even if you breathe down the editors' necks, you ultimately can’t control how the public reacts to what has been produced.So, for an A-list celebrity just coming off of a very public trial for the accidental death of a co-worker, it seems a strange decision to move forward witha TLC reality seriesset in their home.
The fallout from theRusttrial has reverberated throughout Hollywood, and althoughthe case againstAlec Baldwinwas dismissedin the accidental shooting death ofHalyna Hutchinswith a prop gun on set, the trial and its aftermath continue to hang over the actor like a malignant cloud. If Baldwin is hoping his new reality TV venture with TLC will help to improve his public image, it seems the A-lister has a few things to learn aboutthe pitfalls of the genre.And we don’t have to look far for examples of whyseason one ofThe Baldwinswon’t work out the way Baldwin might hope, especially if rehabilitating his public image is the goal.
When It Comes to Hiding Things on Reality TV, Andy Cohen Said It Best
Speaking about the juggernautThe Real Housewivesfranchise on Bravo, network producerAndy Cohenhadthis piece of adviceto offer newly minted reality stars: Don’t come on reality TV if you have something to hide.Cohen’s point was that if the hope is to come onto reality TV and control the narrative about your life, you’ll be in for a rude awakening.An A-list celebrity coming off of a public murder trial where an innocent women lost her life while at work on set clearly has a deep need to portray himself to the public in an extremely affable light.
But reality TV is not a Hollywood set, and it seems Baldwin is struggling to know the difference. An anonymous crew member working onThe Baldwinsspoke withIn Touch Weeklyto vent frustrations about the Hollywood A-lister, claiming Baldwin “thinks he is filming a movie, not a cheap reality show.” The crew member went on to say Baldwin seemed to be struggling with the concept of not having a script to follow. It was also alleged that Baldwin was having difficulty taking a back seat and letting the crew do their job, interfering because his legendary career in Hollywood had him acting like he knew better about “everything from the storylines to the camera angles to the lighting.” If Baldwin is hoping that this tactic will have a beneficial impact on his family reality series, he should look to his Hollywood co-patriotSylvester Stalloneas a warning beacon.
‘The Baldwins’ May Suffer The Same Fate As ‘The Family Stallone’
The reality seriesThe Family Stallonewas initially meant to feature the daughters Stallone and their motherJennifer Flavin Stallone, while the busy Hollywood patriarch was likely intended to be only a passing figure on the family show. However, amid a contentious near-divorce and a scramble to restore order in his marital home, Stallone was suddenly front and center during the filming ofThe Family Stallone, despite his busy schedule on the Paramount+ seriesTulsa King. And it is clear from the two seasons of the family series, which has not announced a third season, that, just like Baldwin,the actor and director struggled to step back and resist the urge to throw a little Hollywood razzle-dazzle into the reality series.
Despite hiswidely reported marital issues, and the couple being on the brink of divorce just prior to filming, onThe Family Stallonethe Hollywood family presented such a united front that it was, frankly, confusing. Prior to the release of the first season,Stallone had assured media outletsthat the trouble in their marriage would be featured on the series, since that was the family’s reality. However, once the series aired, Stallone and his wife were so loving and affectionate that it rang false with audiences, as the couple never once honestly addressed their marital issues on camera and instead focused on attempting to portray their lives as though they still made a perfect family picture. Stallone even admitted thathe and his family insisted on being in the editors' roomso they could approve the final edit of the series, andit was obvious to viewers that what they were seeing was a tightly controlled narrative instead of the reality of the family’s life together.
If Baldwin is hoping to come into his reality series and control the narrative in the wake of theRusttrial, he should learn from Stallone’s mistakes. It’s already obvious that the idea is for the family to put their best foot forward, sinceHilaria Baldwinis reportedly forcing her husband to eat healthily and exercise in orderto look fit for the series. But the reality TV audience is alert to anything false, even if it is just a reluctance to change their lifestyle with diet and exercise, let alone a fallen Hollywood legend looking to rehabilitate his public image after the fallout from a manslaughter investigation. Indeed, reality TV audiences often delight in exposing falsities by watching for cues that someone is misrepresenting the truth on their series.With Baldwin’s reputation already so tattered after the fall-out from theRusttrial, he might want to think twice about his strategy of presenting a false reality to the audience inThe Baldwins, since, historically, all this does is encourage the audience to dig deeper into the truth that’s being hidden.
The Baldwins
The Baldwinspremieres on TLC on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 10/9c on TLC, with episodes streaming the next day on Max. His previous talk show is available to stream on Prime Video.
Stream on Prime Video
