'The Real World: D.C.' (10PM, MTV) season 23 premiere
This is the true story of eight strangers ... You know the drill by now, as the show kicks off its 23rd season in a new city. Washington, D.C., the home of many a political scandal, will be the backdrop to a whole season of intense 'Real World' dramas, with castmates that are almost certain to butt heads (and various other body parts). Emily, who's trying to shake off her "cult-like" religious past, bonds with Mike, partly because both of them are lookin' for love with either sex. And that just might shock conservative Texan Callie, though probably not bad boy rocker Josh, who used to hang with gangs in his native Philadelphia. And then there's Andrew, whose stated his sole goal for D.C. is trying to get laid ...

I could have sworn that I was trying to find a Halloween costume yesterday, but while I was digging I should have found my aluminum pole instead. It's Festivus again and I'm letting my wishes commence.

I know my tastes skew towards reality TV, but I've gotten some obscure wishes this year on how to improve my television experience.

• No more football overrunning The Amazing Race. If we know that an NFL game is stretched into three hours, why can't they start a half hour early and if they end on time have 30 minutes of post-show analysis and interviews? They could even dedicate 30 minutes to pre-game analysis. If you're investing three hours, you are willing to invest four.

I was a huge fan of Skins long before it came to the US. When you follow television like I do, you sometimes become aware of shows from other countries that the U.S. isn't keen to yet. Which is how I found Skins when it was first making waves in the U.K. Immediately, I was drawn to it as something I'd never seen before in a teen show.

The show worked so well because of its authenticity, achieved by having a group of real teens write the stories. All the actors were little known real teens, as well. No young-looking 35-year-olds faking it here. To keep it fresh, they rotate out virtually the entire cast every two years.

Now co-creator Bryan Elsley is looking to apply that same formula to an all new U.S.-based Skins, and after a tense bidding war, MTV has secured the rights. I am glad it's on cable, as the original has some racy content. I just hope MTV doesn't get tempted to turn it into The Real World: Scripted. Even the fake kids of Skins are more real than those bozos.

From touchy subjects (abortion, homosexuality, Scientology!) to naughty touches (in all sorts of places), we've got all the bases covered in our rundown of the Top 20 Television Controversies of all time.

So, read through our list of TV's most shocking events, moments and mishaps ... and prepare to be scandalized. -- By Adam Duerson

In a world where reality television dominates the network line-up, it should come as no surprise that eventually the owners of those shows would buy other production companies that do the same. In this case, Talpa Media (the people behind Big Brother) is in the process of acquiring Bunim/Murray, the granddaddy of American reality television and the company behind MTV's The Real World.

When you think about it, the two shows do have some superficial similarities. They're both about a bunch of people living in a house (although The Real World was never the competition that Big Brother was). Perhaps The Real World will involve more tenant evictions now as a result.

Using my completely inaccurate psychic powers, I predict that eventually all reality shows will be acquired by other production companies and in the end we'll be left with a single show having a title like Survivor: The Big Brother Real World American Idol Top Chef Dancing With The Stars or some such.

MTV's 'The Real World' fittingly celebrated its 22nd birthday in Cancun last night, where the housemates' newly formed friendships are sure to be destroyed by fighting, awkward hook-ups and lots and lots of alcohol.

Still, the eight new strangers have their work cut out for them if they ever want to live up to the crass behavior of past seasons -- you know, like the hot tub threesome from 'Las Vegas,' the shower threesome from 'Miami' and Puck being Puck on 'San Francisco.'

As we wait to find out what happens when 'Cancun' stops being polite and starts getting real, we want to hear from you. In 22 seasons, which 'Real World' featured the trashiest cast of all-time?

This week, reality television maintained some normalcy. The outliers in Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, and Hell's Kitchen went home. Although I'll lament the loss of Mel and Mike in The Amazing Race, I believe that all the remaining teams deserve to be there.

Speaking of teams, the Survivor Secret Alliance still has the numbers. With the merge inevitable, we'll see if one of the best alliances ever created will stick together. As long as Coach goes home, I'll be satisfied. More analysis after the jump.

Recently, MTV has announced that The Real World (and the Challenges) will be going on for at least four more seasons. With the 21st season coming to a close, it brought up the big question: Should The Real World be renewed? After watching The Real World: Brooklyn, I have to say yes.

I started watching during The Real World: Miami. There was grit, passion, and I learned life lessons from the cast. After Philadelphia's season, the show felt like there was nothing left to cover. Everyone was too attractive, and they all wanted to become famous.

This week in reality television was eclectic. Dancing With the Stars was happily un-complicated with the absence of Denise Richards, America's Next Top Model's most home-sick model mysteriously was on top, and no one should have watched Survivor because it was a waste of time.

This is one of those weeks where you realize that the show casts people with little-to-no chance of winning just so that the people they want to win don't mess up. Although American Idol's Michael Sarver is a great example, I'm looking mostly at Celia (right) from Top Model: she's too old. On a positive note, there was a lot of weird, memorable, and funny moments to compensate this week. More analysis after the jump.

Think you know your showmances?

For reality television, love is always in the air. Some shows set out to find it ('The Bachelor,' 'Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire'); it happens spontaneously on others ('The Real World'; 'Survivor').

Think you know floozy flirtations, "scripted-drama" passion? We've got your reality check right here -- take our reality-TV romances quiz.

'Damages'
(10PM, FX) 2nd season premiere
The premiere opens on Ellen, and, without giving away a plot point that will drive much of the season, it's safe to say that she's still reeling from last season's finale, when the person behind her fiance's murder was revealed.

A new friend Ellen meets in group therapy tells her she has only two options for dealing with her pain: forgiveness or revenge, and she's definitely made up her mind which way to go.

As for Ellen's boss Patty, she's seemingly trying to change her wicked ways by fronting a charitable endeavor, but when a man from her past (William Hurt) pops up unexpectedly (and unwanted) in her present, it's clear Patty's going to be in for another wild ride, too.

I usually associate Real World cast members with drunken barfights, threeways, and tearful meltdowns--but politics? That's a first. Kevin Powell, former Real World reality star, is running for Congress in Brooklyn's 10th District. Old-timers like myself remember Kevin from the show's very first season, back when the cast members weren't equal parts hot and crazy.

Powell's post-reality career has set him apart from the typical fame-seeking MTV celebs. According to his campaign website, he's written seven books and is a successful lecturer and activist. That certainly beats stints on The Surreal Life and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, reality television programming was a rarity on the schedules of the Big Three networks. It was more of a novelty that piqued the interest of the viewers for a few months or a few seasons, then was relegated back into the shadows while scripted shows dominated the airwaves. It wasn't until the very end of the 1980s, when FOX premiered COPS, that reality-based programming became a prime-time staple.

It stayed that way for several years. Then, just like that, it all changed, thanks to one show that premiered in 1992. With a simple program on a fairly new cable channel, reality programming went from television rarity to huge success. So much so that, in a few short years, it spawned various direct copies and variations of its concept on both the over-the-air and cable networks. By the early 21st century the airwaves were filled with more reality programming than scripted works, garnering the ire and the joy of many a long-time television viewer.

And, it all began on a network primarily known for its music videos and Pauly Shore.

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A couple of months ago, I interviewed Lifetime president of entertainment Susanne Daniels for TV Week, asking her about Project Runway jumping from Bravo to her network.

"We know for certain that Heidi (Klum) and Tim (Gunn) are returning. We would love to see the judges back, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia...but we're working on that," she said.

She went on to say that the show will look and feel very much like it did on Bravo; it will be airing in the same time slot, the same day of the week. And she secured Kors and Garcia, so the four important Project Runway principals all will be in place.

Now comes word that in an effort to keep Project Runway as much a hit on Lifetime as it's been on Bravo, Lifetime is bringing in the veteran production team Bunim-Murray to take over as showrunners.