Palintology: Discovery Gives Palin Her Own Reality Show

It’s official. You will now be able to not just watch Sarah Palin offering sage political advice on Fox News, but then switch over to Discovery Channel to watch her new reality show. In a reported $1 million per episode deal, Discovery will feature interesting people and things in Alaska with Palin as the guide.

The show is the brain-child of reality-TV rainmaker Mark Burnett and “will center on interesting characters, traditions and attractions in the 49th state – with the ex-VP candidate as a guide.”

My immediate reaction to this news is how far the Discovery Channel has descended into cultural junk. The channel was once a fascinating collection of shows on science-related subjects that elevated the overall quality of television. As with the History Channel (discussed earlier) with such mindless shows as Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers, Discovery now shows such junk television as American Chopper and Ghost Lab. The Channel has gone from featuring the likes of Carl Sagan to Sarah Palin. That is a study in de-evolution.

For the full story, click here.