Americans have long been concerned with the erosion of “traditional” values, and one might expect reality TV’s outrageous misfits to be at the leading edge of that erosion. But while conservative groups would be unlikely to endorse most of these shows, they’re havens for some of the most old-fashioned values that pulse through contemporary American society. They show us how steadfastly we cling to conventional ideas about, for instance, families, marriages, sex, women’s roles, Black bodies, and queer people.
