What was the first reality television show to air on TV?

An American FamilyThe first television show that was considered reality TV similar to what we know today was An American Family, which aired on PBS in 1971. An American Family followed the Loud family who lived in Santa Barbara, California. The family consisted of the parents Bill and Patricia (Pat) Loud and their five children - Lance, Kevin, Grant, Delilah and Michele.

An American Family was filmed documentary-style and aired 12 episodes. During the filming of the program, Pat and Bill separated, and Pat filed for divorce. The couple's oldest son Lance, who was 20 years old at the time of filming, was openly gay, and occasionally wore women's clothing and lipstick. The show dealt a great deal with Lance's struggle with his sexuality, as well as his relationship with his parents, especially his father.

After An American Family first aired, there were two follow-ups to the show. In 1983, HBO aired An American Family: 10 Years Later. In 2003, PBS aired Lance Loud!: A Death In An American Family. That documentary was filmed in 2001 at Lance's request. He was never happy with how his family was portrayed in An American Family, and before his death, he wanted his family revisited so America could see the loving family that Lance knew them to be. This final documentary also detailed Lance's physical decline due to his 20-year addiction to meth, and his battle with HIV and hepatitis C. Lance died from complications of his diseases on December 22, 2001.

In 2010, HBO announced plans to film Cinema Verite, a movie about the filming of An American Family.