Watching TV

Types of TV shows: Chat shows / Crime / Documentary / Drama / Cooking / Game shows / Kids / News
and weather / Nature and wildlife / Public affairs / Reality TV / Shopping / Sitcoms / Soap opera / Sports

- Label each set of TV shows with a suitable description from the types of shows listed above.
- Outline key features for each type of TV show.
- Add another show of the same type to each category.

Chopped The View Days of our Lives The Walking Dead Blockbusters
Nailed It! This Morning EastEnders Line of Duty Family Fortunes
The Final Table The Tonight Show Neighbours Downton Abbey Countdown
MasterChef Dr. Phil General Hospital House of Cards The Price is Right
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Wild-Wild Country The Big Bang Theory First Take Love Island Extinct or Alive
Making a Murderer Modern Family Match of the Day The X Factor Dynasties
Ancient Aliens Frasier Hard Knocks Big Brother The First Eden
Frontline Seinfeld The Ultimate Fighter Survivor Life in the Undergrowth
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Select the name of each TV show as outlined in the following descriptions.

This is a daytime talk show hosted by women, with each offering her take on the day's news during the
opening "Hot Topics" segment. The program also offers tips on beauty, fashion, diet and relationships.
________________

The working-class residents of Albert Square, a fictional place situated in the East End of London, struggle
to face the challenges of everyday life. ________________

Two contestants compete against each other and the clock in a battle of wits that tests both their lexical
dexterity and numerical knowledge. The contestants must find as many words as they can from nine
letter tiles on the board. ________________

The show follows a number of contestants, known as housemates, who are isolated from the outside
world for an extended period of time in a custom-built house. Each week, one of the housemates is
evicted by a public vote, with the last housemate remaining winning a cash prize. The series takes its
name from a concept in George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ________________

A group of survivors led by police officer Rick Grimes travel in search of a safe and secure home after a
zombie apocalypse spreads across the USA. ________________
Describe a TV programme or channel that you enjoy watching regularly.

 What it is called and what is it about?

 When do you usually watch it?
 Why do you prefer it to other programmes or channels?
 Would you recommend the show to others or is watching it more of a guilty pleasure?

Development of a TV Show

Complete the text about the development of TV shows by filling in the gaps with the words provided.

air / cancelled / cast / crew / episode / executives / green-light / pass / pilot /

pitch / running / seasons / series / shop-it-around / test screening / time slot

When a person or company decides to create a new TV …………………, they develop the show's elements,

consisting of the concept, the characters, the …………………, and ………………… Then they often …………………

the show to various TV ………………… and producers at different networks in an attempt to find one

interested enough to order a prototype of the show, known as a ……….…..….. To create this initial

………......…., the structure and outline of the whole series must be put together. If audiences respond well

in a …………………, the network will give the ……….......…. for the show to ………………… in a regular

………………… On other occasions, a network may ……………….…. on a TV show entirely, forcing the creator

to ……..............…. to other networks. Therefore, many shows never make it past this initial stage. The

average TV show is usually shown for 2-3 ………….…...…. before getting …………......….. However, the most

popular programs can last for multiple decades. For instance, one of the longest ………………… shows is

‘The Simpsons’, which was first broadcast to audiences in 1989.

Put the words in the correct order to make questions which you should then provide answers to.

1 watch / do / How / TV / much / day? / every / you

2 anything / Do / TV? / learn / you / from
3 violence / you / TV? / that / agree / much / there / is / Do / on / too
4 think / you / you? / TV / do / affect / ads / How
5 reality / you / do / shows? / think / What / of
6 reality / you / show? / ever / Would / in / participate / a
7 kinds / would / programmes / see / What / you / more / of / like / to / of?
8 negative / you / TV / think / positive / Do / society? / has / a / or / effect / on
Decide what your preference is from the pairs of options given. Explain why you feel that way.

Releasing a whole TV series season at once OR Releasing episodes of TV series once a week
Watching movies via a streaming service at home OR Watching movies in the cinema
Watching only cable TV with dozens of channels OR Using a streaming service and not watching
traditional TV at all
Watching too much TV destroys social interaction OR Watching TV series helps to create social
interactions
Answers

cooking / chat shows / soap operas / dramas / game shows / documentaries / sitcoms /
sports / reality TV / nature and wildlife

The View / EastEnders / Countdown / Big Brother / The Walking Dead

series / cast / crew / pitch / executives / pilot / episode / test screening / green-light / time
slot / air / pass / shop-it-around / seasons / cancelled / running