This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Lifetime's new series "Unreal" is a really mean-spirited scripted show set behind the scenes of one of those ludicrous TV dating shows — something along the lines of "The Bachelor."

It's so mean and awful it seems entirely believable. And I kind of like it.

Shiri Appleby ("Life Unexpected") stars as Rachel, a producer of the dating show "Everlasting." It's not really a reality show, because it's her job to manipulate the results in a way that are, yes, "Unreal."

Why does she do it? She's being blackmailed by Quinn (Constance Zimmer, "Entourage"), the show's executive producer. Quinn is a monster. Her only thoughts are about the ratings and she couldn't possibly care less whose life she destroys — whether that's her own staff or contestants on the show.

If you're a fan of "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette" — if you're a producer on those shows — you're not going to like "Unreal." Quinn refers to the contestants as "meat puppets," and they are edited in ways that make it seem what they're saying is the complete opposite of what they've actually said. She approves a contestant who has possible mental issues because a crazy-acting woman is good for ratings.

This is not a documentary, but it feels real, even very quickly dealing with the inherent racisim in shows like "The Bachelor.".

Quinn yells at her staff when the first woman to meet her show's bachelor is African-American — who, clearly, is not going to end up being chosen by the white man. "It's not my fault America is racist," Quinn shrieks.

Yikes.

Rachel is the basically good girl here, dealing with a crazy boss, a crazy roommate and an ex-boyfriend who works on the show.

"Unreal" is a big soap opera that feeds from what we all believe is true about so-called reality shows. And, as such, it works.