A Hillbilly Resurgence Is Squashed… For A While
In 2003, CBS announced the latest idea for their reality television line; “The Real Beverly Hillbillies.” The premise was to take a family out of the rural Appalachian area and set them up in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Appalachian area advocates protested the show, upset about their culture being mocked for laughs. Another network wanted to do a similar reality show based on Green Acres, where wealthy city dwellers stayed in a rural community. Despite studio executives saying they didn’t mean to offend; the shows follow the tradition of displaying a way of life that doesn’t paint the subject in a good light. Audiences would get their hillbilly fix in the 2010s, with Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Buckwild, a highly edited version of modern hillbilly life position in the United States.