TV is taking it all off these days, and Adweek‘s cover story chronicles the phenomenon, exploring hit shows like VH1’s Dating Naked, Discovery Channel’s adventure series Naked and Afraid, TLC’s Buying Naked and GSN’s Skin Wars, among others.
They’re calling this a “regular subgenre” of reality programming with more to come.
Many execs told the mag they’re going for extreme vulnerability. There’s also the concept that younger viewers are at ease sending out nude pics, while the older generations are not, making the shows that much more enticing.
Despite advertisers like Lysol, Taco Bell and Dominos being willing to support naked shows, don’t look for naked TV to really take off.
“While certainly getting a lot of media attention and some interest among viewers, it bears mentioning that none of these naked-centric shows has hit the level of success of such basic cable phenomena as A&E’s Duck Dynasty and History’s Pawn Stars.”
