HBO to Create Drama Based on 1970s Reality-Show Family

These days, reality TV shows have become so common they seem like old news. You may even know someone who’s been on a reality show. But back in the good old days of 1973, when PBS premiered An American Family, the concept of peering into the world of a group of strangers via camera lens was intriguing and fresh. Now, almost four decades since America met the Louds of Santa Barbara, HBO plans to make a drama based on the family. The film, entitled Cinema Verite, will look into the creation of the documentary.

This won’t be the first time HBO has shown an interest in the Loud clan. In 1983, the cable network broadcast An American Family Revisited: The Louds 10 Years Later, checking back in with the family a decade after their 12-episode series aired.

Aside from being billed as America’s first reality-show family, the Louds are also remembered for announcing their divorce while the cameras were rolling and for their oldest son, Lance, coming out on television. (He was dubbed TV’s first openly gay character.)

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.