The First Reality Show: An American Family

Brooks Brings His Real Life To Television

Like the British series, An American Family also had its share of parodies. In 1979, actor, filmmaker, and comedian Albert Brooks released his film parodying the Louds’ called Real Life. The movie was Albert’s directorial debut. Real Life is also one of the first instances of the mockumentary, a style of film we now see quite frequently!

Albert Brooks also directed six shorts for the first ever season of SNL, with hosts for the episodes including George Carlin, Rob Reiner, and Richard Pryor. In 2016, he did a lot of voice acting in children’s films including the very popular Finding Dory, where he voiced Marlin, and The Secret Life of Pets where he voiced Tiberius.