What Would a 'The Truman Show' TV Show Look Like?

So Paramount is relaunching their TV department, and with that revamp the movie house has announced plans to create an actual television show take on their 1998 Jim Carrey film, The Truman Show . It's not the only movie they're mining from the myriad of well-known properties they have within their own cinematic library, but it does feel like the most apt one ever. Perhaps this idea is even more appropriate now than in 1998, because I'll be damned if — what at least feels like — 90 percent of the world isn't interested in being famous for nothing these days.

Which has led us to some questions, naturally. In the film, Truman Burbank is an insurance salesman/adjuster who discovers — much to his chagrin and general confusion — that his entire life is actually a show being broadcast for the world's amusement. As has been evidenced by the endless parade of reality shows that by-and-large dominate the television space, most humans desire the artifice of living in a constructed reality for millions of strangers to see and judge. I mean, have you seen the Kardashians? Most people love their own perceived ideas of what their reality should be than the one that, y'know, actually exists around them.

Would The Truman Show be a reality show? Would it be scripted? And if it's based in modern times, would this televised take on Truman be sad about it, or happy? And how long could a show like this feasibly run? After the Truman stand-in figures out that their life is being broadcast around the clock to billions of people, would it really take that long for the network to figure it out and intervene? In the film, Truman becomes suspicious of his perceived reality and embarks on a quest to discover the truth about his life — how long could that really play out on a TV series without feeling old and worn-out by, say, adventure 4? And, the biggest question of all: do we really want to play into people's desires of being famous just for the sake of validating their insecurities about not being a super special and super-unique snowflake flower?

Just a few questions, Paramount. That's all!

Image: Paramount Pictures