tv arms race

Japan Stands Up to U.S. In international Crisis of Reality-Show Diplomacy

8:10AM STV | Bad television is still recognised as “intellectual property” no matter how stupid it is, as ABC has discovered in recent months with its hit Wipeout. After some vocal complaints from a producer who claimed the network not only ripped off his “inbreds on an obstacle course” idea but conspired with YouTube to pull evidence from the site, the Japanese network that launched the original show officially filed suit today against ABC to reclaim its fragile sense of propriety over irredeemably dumb shit — not to mention unspecified monetary damages: More »