The First Reality Show: An American Family

Before The Kardashians, There Were The Louds

The Louds are the upper middle-class clan that the show An American Family centers around. The family is made up of Pat and Bill, the parents, and their five children: Lance, Delilah, Grant, Kevin, and Michele. The show followed the Loud family for seven months and was meant to give the audience an up-and-close look at the day to day life of an American family.

The family lived in Santa Barbara, California. Ten million viewers tuned in to watch the Loud family, and they all became household names. Unfortunately, the under-the-microscope look ended up showing the Louds’ lives dismantling. Ultimately, the mother Pat asked her husband Bill to move out of the household, and it was all caught on camera. The eldest son, Lance, also became the first gay man to come out on television.