Reality television has been around for a long time. "COPS" has been around since 1989 and MTV's "The Real World" debuted in 1992. The genre moved along slowly with a few new additions to the programming slates each fall, but things really seemed to take off with the new millennium.

In 2000, "Survivor" hit the scene. After that, the list just kept getting longer and longer. It seemed like any and every "real" life situation you could imagine was being turned into a show. Celebrities were showing the world their "everyday lives" in shows like "The Osbournes" and "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica." Celebrity has-beens tried to make a new mark on shows like "The Surreal Life" and "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here." And, of course, the search began for America's hidden talents in "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent."

Yet while the list is long of reality shows that have come and gone or come and stayed season after season, their voyeuristic draw is beginning to fade. After three seasons, Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" won't be back for a fourth. "American Idol" didn't draw the ratings it has in the past. And people are talking about "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ugly Betty" around the water cooler these days, not "Survivor." In fact, if you ask most people, they don't even know the show is still on.

For a while, it seemed like there were as many reality shows as new scripted comedies and dramas each season. Yet the tide is beginning to turn. People are turning back to traditional TV. And why shouldn't they? Isn't the point of the boob tube to escape reality in the first place?

A Glimpse at Reality TV History

An American Family (1973)

The Real World (1992)

Road Rules (1994)

Blind Date (1999)

Survivor (2000)

Making the Band (2001)

What Not to Wear (2001)

Spy TV (2001)

Project Greenlight (2001)

The Amazing Race (2001)

The Anna Nicole Show (2002)

The Osbournes (2002)

American Idol (2002)

The Bachelor (2002)

Joe Millionaire (2003)

The Simple Life (2003)

Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica (2003)

American Chopper (2003)

America's Next Top Model (2003)

The Apprentice (2004)

Dancing With the Stars (2004)

Project Runway (2004)

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2004)

Miami Ink (2005)

Rock Star INXS (2005)

Supernanny (2005)

The Girls Next Door (2005)

Flavor of Love (2006)

America's Got Talent (2006)

"Grease" on Broadway (2007)