Halfway through the opening credits of MTV’s “The Paper,” one of its virtues is already apparent: I’m not watching “Laguna Beach.”
Don’t get me wrong; Lauren and the gang are entertaining. But if I wanted to watch a show that never lets me forget there’s a script behind it, I’d tune in to daytime television. The appeal behind reality TV lies in the fact that the people, the locations and the drama … are real. Where have I heard that before?
Scattered among the series, which are as far from reality as Laguna Beach is from Connecticut, are some shows that prove MTV can do reality TV well. One shining example is “True Life,” a series that provides truly evocative snapshots of the people-binge drinkers, sumo wrestlers, Staten Island women-that it documents. So when previews for “The Paper” started circulating, I thought it would provide a clear snapshot of high school journalists. It doesn’t.
It does prove that MTV can squeeze every last drop of drama out of anything, even a group of high school journalists.
In the premiere episode, the paper’s four lead editors battle for the coveted position of editor in chief at the Circuit, the student newspaper at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla. Amanda, the outspoken copy editor who is also the show’s narrator, steals the spotlight, while the other staffers vying for the position talk about her behind her back. Alex is the sports editor Amanda refers to as her “biggest competition,” Adam is the drama queen business manager, and Giana is the club’s editor who seems more interested in her boyfriend than becoming editor in chief.
Amanda is clearly the most driven, staying home to write her editor application essay while the rest of the crew plays beer pong at a house party. Predictably, she gets the position (why else would she narrate the show?), and the rest of the episode soaks up the gossip that results. Once Ms. Weiss, the faculty member who chooses the new club leader, posts the list of positions, Giana tells Amanda, “A lot of people didn’t want you to get it. They didn’t even care if they got it, they just didn’t want you to get it.”
Ouch.
“The Paper” will appeal more to fans of “My Super Sweet 16” than anyone interested in journalism. Anything that doesn’t involve drama-the newspaper’s content, the work its editors put into an issue-ended up on the cutting room floor.
“The Paper” could chronicle any other high school institution in which competition plays an integral role. Replace the newspapers with pom-poms, and this could be a show about cheerleading. Now that I think about it, replace Amanda’s glasses with a tan and this could be Laguna Beach.
Hey, at least there’s no script.
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