You might remember We as the network that used to run promos featuring just the "We" part of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" on loop. You may also remember We as the as the network that is seemingly always airing The Truth About Cats & Dogs (somebody has to, right?). Basically, We feels like something you would only watch if you were in the hospital and sick of staring at the walls.
So what better place for a reality show about a bunch of "wild" geriatrics living in a retirement community than a network perfectly tailored for hospital viewing?
Behold WE's Sunset Daze:
(via LA Times)
Old people skydiving! Old people hugging! Old people shooting clay pigeons for an interminable amount of time! Old people rehearsing a play! Congratulations, We. You've somehow made a reality show about retirement that is infinitely more boring than retirement itself. Hopefully there's a scene where Gail "The Actress" talks about how hard it is to find a good parking spot at the Whole Foods. Retired People Problems, you know?
Making a reality show version of a scripted TV show is, sadly, nothing new: Laguna Beach was the "real" The O.C., The Real Housewives franchise was inspired by Desperate Housewives, and The Real L Word is a real thing that is going to exist on Showtime. But The O.C. and Desperate Housewives were dramas. The L Word was a melodrama that had been spirographed over several times by a team of absent-minded carnies then put on television for some reason. Until Sunset Daze, however, no one had attempted to make a reality show version of a beloved 80s sitcom. Judging by that promo, it's easy to see why. Just one of Rose Nylund's scripted St. Olaf stories is more entertaining than watching a roomful of real retirees doing interpretive dance—and the real retirees are holding guns.