How Is Terrace House Like a Let’s Play?

I'm So Meta, Even This Terrace House Episode…. Makes a bad acronym

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If you’ve been both alive and near a television in the last 3 decades, you’ve probably heard about “reality TV,” often premised on variations of a social-interaction-theme. Paradigmatic examples include CBS’s Survivor, ABC’s The Bachelor, E!s Keeping up with the Kardashians, and even, the OG standout MTV’s Real World - which just finished season 32. Terrace House is like none of these shows. There are no “confessional interviews”, no tasks, no eliminations, no goals. On the show … “contestants”? “cast members”? Housemates ... never acknowledge the camera. They go to school... have jobs, friends and relationships which are RARELY, if ever, shown on camera. And when someone leaves... it’s because they CHOOSE to. It’s just some young people, living together, sometimes going on dates, often, but not always, with one another. I think that’s only part of the story, though. And that there are some things about Terrace House which are quietly VERY effective, and also say LOTS about a potential future for the place of audience in media. That potential future has something to do with Let’s Plays, but… we’re gonna work our way there. First, we’ll talk about how Terrace house is actually -- hold politely onto your butts -- two “reality” shows. Let us know what you think about Terrace House in the comments below!

Check out Vanessa on BrainCraft!

Check out Anna from Gross Science!

Checkout Matt from Space Time!

PBS Digital Studios 2017 Audience Survey

--COMMENT RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK’S EPISODE--

--TWEETS OF THE WEEK--

--FURTHER READING & SOURCES--

--ASSET LINKS--

2:43 Terrace House is the Delicate Fleeting Reality Show W Don’t Deserve

8:43 Subnautica - Part 59 - FIGHTING THE SEA DRAGON!!

08:48 SURPRISE MOTHER F@#KER! (H1Z1 Full Gameplay)

9:01 Middleditch Twitch Raid

9:04 BATTLEGROUNDS - Roadkill Warriors

9:08 Arcane one shot

11:12 Playing Super Mario NES!

11:40 GoPro- Exploring Bali with Contiki

--MERCH--
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[Sir_Hatsley]

So it's a live action slice of life?

[stanley]

How to recommend Terrace House:

"Yo dawg I heard you like audiences so I got an audience for your audience for your audience so they can audience while you audience while they audience."

[ANTHONYRAPPISAGOD]

When I was watching the panel for this episode (Vanessa, Anna and Matt), specifically the "ten dollars says it's Žižek" comment, it made me realize that a big part of why I think panels/aftershows/let's plays work is that it creates a sense of community around the piece of media and makes you feel in on the joke. I think when you love and care about something, you also have criticisms and curiosities about it and you want to discuss them with other people who maybe don't get why you care. The fact that because I'm such a big fan of PBS Idea Channel and know about Mike's fondness for Žižek made me temporarily feel like part of a club. (side note but I think that's part of what makes this show so effective; it uncovers new ideas about media by trying to emulate what it's commenting upon)

There are two podcasts I'm thinking of right now: "Bros watch PLL (Pretty Little Liars) Too" and "Gilmore Guys" that both feature grown men enthusiastically and unironically discussing two tv shows aimed at teenage girls. Bros watch PLL, in particular, makes me feel so validated in my love for the show, but also in my criticisms of it. They have Bingo boards for specific overused and/or harmful tropes that they put up with each episode. None of this is to say, by the way, that I think you overuse Žižek by the way! The joke about it just made me think about the way fans notice and joke about patterns, cliches and tropes they see in their favorite media.

I think panels also show our growing comfort with media "hanging a lampshade" or drawing attention to its own cliches or plot holes. Fandoms love when tv shows make references to fan theories/fan jokes/fan culture (the moment in Steven Universe where a "cannon" sinks two characters' "ship"). Panels celebrate and encourage loyal viewership and make us feel less crazy for overthinking what we love.

[caitiecatbug]

I'm an American and I have been living abroad for the past 6 years, 3 of those years have been spent in Japan. Just to give some background for my perspective. I didn't have Netflix until recently but I have spent a lot of time watching TV here. I prefer watching talkshows and comedy shows in Japanese because I don't have to understand everything at 100%. Because most of those shows have the professional surrogate audience, and it helps me understand things I might have missed. It's also interesting to note that a lot of the shows have the surrogate audience in a little corner of the screen like most Let's Plays. So I wasn't surprised by the studio cast, because that's normal in Japanese TV. Whereas with dramas it's more difficult to pick up on the nuances and the shows don't have the reaction cast, so it's harder for me keep up with the show. With that being said, I like Terrace House because I get the nuances of the dramas and the help from the studio cast (plus the subtitles are super great), because no matter how long I live in Japan I will never fully understand everything and I'm not Japanese.

I think another thing that makes Terrace House standout from other reality shows is the way the shot is shot and filmed. I don't feel the urgency of the camera to film everything that has happened, and the edits even finish a scene even though the housemates are still having a conversation. The show just looks very nice. And I don't feel the presence of the producers as much as I did with shows like Real World and Survivor.

The only other time that I can think that an audience has influence over the show like Terrace House, was American Idol. But like it was said Terrace House isn't a competition and people can leave whenever they want I feel like the housemates have some much more autonomy.

[Ofx]

Please let this mean more people are going to watch terrace house so im not talking to a void on twitter. Also, everyone needs to be watching Terrace House!

[Guimoide]

Damn you Mike, it's only been a week and you already got me addicted in Terrace House. And I don't even like realities shows!

[ArtArtisian]

This reminded me of the Stanley Parable. In that game, you play as both the 'main character' - watching and interacting with the game itself - while being watched by an 'audience' - the narrator - who has clear opinions about what you should be doing.

It's the same kind of feedback loop that I think makes the whole thing so fun to watch/take part in.

[vessiecakes]

I always find when I travel away from Ireland where I was born and raised and still live that, when I return, I always notice from the plane how green everything is and you understand why people call it "the Emerald Isle" and it just makes me love my home that little bit more; that's my favourite kind of Eidetic Return

[kleacy]

We have a show in Australia called Goggle Box. It's a show about 'average Australian families" watching Australian TV shows and their commentary as they do. It's a pretty meta reality show, but also pretty shit.

[seafarer_]

This suddenly explained why I love both Let’s Plays and reality TV. (I might have missed a mention of this in the video, but) I will say that the commentator format is super common on Japanese TV. As someone who’s Japanese, I believe it’s because sometimes we feel more comfortable being guided to know how to react (which is, admittedly, a bit odd from a western standpoint).

[softrockstarr]

HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS SHOW EVEN EXISTED?

[CanuckMonkey]

A variation on the "fake audience" concept that I've really enjoyed is the "After the Trump" series on Cracked. In each episode, a foursome discusses recent events surrounding the current White House administration as though they were actually part of a TV series. It works amazingly well, and if you haven't seen it you should go check it out right now. There are (I believe) only five episodes to date.

[spencerkaminsky]

I would love to see Mike cover House of Leaves in some way... That book was facinating

[TheElectricGentleman]

Didn't expect the shoutout to Justin. I feel like we're heading towards a sweet soft boy singularity/ouroboros, now we just need Mike to do a guest spot on Monster Factor and/or Drawfee.

[dlivingstonmcpherson]

But doesn't Idea Channel already have an aleph incorporated through the comment response video, thereby exalting the comments section to the level of being part of the 'alpha'. All YouTube has comments, which makes them interactive with the audience (fantastic!) but rarely to the degree that Idea Channel interacts with them. Seeing everyone else's insightful comments versus analyzed by Mike informs me how I should be commenting as well as analyzing others' comments. woah.

[grossscienceshow]

Ahhhh, love this! Also, FYI, I was sooo excited to do the "here's an idea" opening :D

[ChildlikeWonder]

My Japanese tutor recommended Terrace House (otherwise I wouldn't be watching it) and it's so great! I must say I really look forward to the panel discussion, and I enjoy the show throughly. I didn't even think of the huge differenced between American reality tv shows, and now that you've pointed it out... it makes so much sense. Thanks for this insight.

[MAlanThomasII]

Probably any show-within-the-show format is going to have elements of this. See, e.g., <i>The Real Inspector Hound</i>, which also has a level of cross-involvement between the levels. Alternatively, consider <i>Nadesico</i> (1996–1997), an anime that is partially commentary on / parody of classic shows in the same genre, which it achieves in part via the characters' enjoyment of a show-within-the-show that is an anime of the same genre, which can reflect or even predict events in the main show.

[nicole-corine]

When I watch musicals/stage productions, every now and then I watch the rest of the audience watch the show. Cause I think the magic doesn't happen on stage. I think we make the show a story, we connect the dots and the audience connecting dots is in itself a story, one I want to connect the dots for. I enjoy the heavy, silence filled with awe. I feel for that one guy crying because this song touches on something he can relate to. I smile at the gleeful reaction of a child who's never been to the theater before. That's what Terrace House and this discussion remind me of.

[Drz]

This was awesome!! I Love the panel of featuring hosts.