Ready to rate shows.

Television City

Las Vegas, Nevada

In a democracy, we make our voices heard. And on the internet, we love to review things. That's the appeal of Television City. You walk in, watch a TV show pilot for CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, or other Viacom networks, and rate it on a touch-screen pad as you watch. There are six different screening rooms, and there's very little waiting, although the whole experience can take up to an hour depending on what show you get (You have no choice in what you see). Frankly, you'll never know what's really being tested, although it's fun to guess: is it the show, or the commercials, or the trailers for other shows, or some aspect of TV watching behavior?

Television City picked this spot to get as wide a range of people as possible, so everyone is welcome. It's not only free, they pay you in coupons.

We'd persuaded a dozen family members, in town for a reunion, that this would be a fun roadside experience on the strip. Each person sat in front of a monitor with a reaction input control. The "show" we viewed was a horrible variety singing program, a generic production that could have been created at any point in a decade, featuring unknown talent and lame jokes. This particular show seemed designed solely for the audience funneled into Television City.

After the program, viewers filled in a detailed TV viewing habits form on their screen. At about the tenth screen asking for personal details, our family group rose up in protest and exited Television City. It was an hour of their lives they would never get back -- and they only fully calmed down after some gambling, souvenir shopping, and a round of Kiss Mini-Golf.