‘The Hills’ reboot & reality TV’s hold on American culture

Once upon a time in America, reality TV used to be about the rich and the famous.

But “The Hills� changed the rules of the game in 2006 — merely being rich or appearing to be — was good enough to get you famous.

The MTV docu-soap spawned a thousand copycats — including the Housewives and the Kardashian franchises — and turned the U.S. into a country obsessed with reality TV, the genre that launched a presidency.

Eager to get back in the limelight, some of the stars of “The Hills� are back on MTV with “New Beginnings.� But will the public have sufficient interest in the older cast members contending with the everyday challenges of domestic life — marriage, children and divorce — that people watch reality TV to get away from?

Times film writer and host Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) talks with @thefilmgoer and @AmyKinLA, author of “Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure.�