Reviewed by Niall Browne

Rock Rivals is a new comedy-drama set in the world of the reality television. The show deals with the behind the scenes trials and tribulations of an X-Factor or American Idol style talent show.

Rock Rivals is from the makers of Footballer’s Wives and it would appear to follow that shows camp and slick style (although I’m only going by the Footballer’s Wives trailers that I have seen in the past - honest). Generally though I’d liken this show to Dynasty and Dallas, only with a modern spin – now that celebrity appears to have replaced success in what people look for in life.

The main thrust of the show follows Karina and Mal (Michelle Collins and Sean Gallagher), a couple who present the hugely successful Rock Rivals show, but the opening episode sees Mal publicly cheating on Karina. Their marriage quickly falls apart and the remainder of the series sees the couple trying to out do each other in business and in life. The series also shows the perspective of some of the contestants, who face their own problems in life due to their newly found fame.

The main problem with Rock Rivals is that the reality television genre is almost above satire. Reality shows by their very format are filled with stupidity and faux drama, not only that, but today’s television audience knows these shows backwards and you have to pull something pretty impressive out of the bag in order to try and give it a new spin. Sadly Rock Rivals doesn’t have the right amount of bite, and the series comes off like a cheap imitation of Paul Weitz’s Dennis Quaid – Hugh Grant flop American Dreamz (a film that also failed to successfully satirize the current trend of television talent shows.

The Extras

There are a huge amount of special features in this three disc set -  a smattering of behind the scenes documentaries: Making the Music feature, The Producer’s Tale, Choosing the Winner, The Actor’s Tale, The Contestant’s Tale, and My Favourite Scene. Also included are two alternate endings to the series. The television viewers were able to choose the series finale (in true reality television fashion) and they are included here for your viewing pleasure.

Not a bad batch of extras for a TV box set.

Final Thoughts

Your enjoyment of Rock Rivals will depend on your love of reality television. If you bought the new Leona Lewis album then you might want to check it out. If you like your television and music a little grittier then you might want to look elsewhere.