<P> Precedents for television that portrayed people in unscripted situations began in the late 1940s . Queen for a Day ( 1945 -- 1964 ) was an early example of reality - based television . The 1946 television game show Cash and Carry sometimes featured contestants performing stunts . Debuting in 1948 , Allen Funt 's hidden camera show Candid Camera ( based on his previous 1947 radio show , Candid Microphone ) broadcast unsuspecting ordinary people reacting to pranks . In 1948 , talent search shows Ted Mack 's Original Amateur Hour and Arthur Godfrey 's Talent Scouts featured amateur competitors and audience voting . In the 1950s , game shows Beat the Clock and Truth or Consequences involved contestants in wacky competitions , stunts , and practical jokes . Confession was a crime / police show which aired from June 1958 to January 1959 , with interviewer Jack Wyatt questioning criminals from assorted backgrounds . The radio series Nightwatch ( 1951 -- 1955 ) tape - recorded the daily activities of Culver City , California police officers . The series You Asked for It ( 1950 -- 1959 ) incorporated audience involvement by basing episodes around requests sent in by postcard from viewers . </P>
<P> Precedents for television that portrayed people in unscripted situations began in the late 1940s . Queen for a Day ( 1945 -- 1964 ) was an early example of reality - based television . The 1946 television game show Cash and Carry sometimes featured contestants performing stunts . Debuting in 1948 , Allen Funt 's hidden camera show Candid Camera ( based on his previous 1947 radio show , Candid Microphone ) broadcast unsuspecting ordinary people reacting to pranks . In 1948 , talent search shows Ted Mack 's Original Amateur Hour and Arthur Godfrey 's Talent Scouts featured amateur competitors and audience voting . In the 1950s , game shows Beat the Clock and Truth or Consequences involved contestants in wacky competitions , stunts , and practical jokes . Confession was a crime / police show which aired from June 1958 to January 1959 , with interviewer Jack Wyatt questioning criminals from assorted backgrounds . The radio series Nightwatch ( 1951 -- 1955 ) tape - recorded the daily activities of Culver City , California police officers . The series You Asked for It ( 1950 -- 1959 ) incorporated audience involvement by basing episodes around requests sent in by postcard from viewers . </P>
when was the first reality tv show made
when was the first reality tv show made
the late 1940s
the late 1940s