But it's a harrowing journey. Howard grew up on television, but the media and the public were less insatiable in the days of his youth than they are now. There were private times for young Howard, sheltered spaces where the media didn't intrude. Not so for McConaughey's Ed. The cameras follow him through breakfast, to work, to dinner with the folks, to the poolhall and even come along on dates.
Ratings are high.
EDtv cuts often to Iowa dorm rooms, New York lofts and other places where Americans avidly watch Ed, his family and friends with greater interest than the people in their lives. Ed becomes a spectral addition to every household, a figure loved by most and hated by some. With greater sophistication than 20 Dates , the current indie film about a man who tries to turn life into a movie, EDtv shows that reality played out for the camera is no longer reality, even before the evil cable moguls begin leading their man-child star into scenarios of their own device. All around Ed, relationships spin out and crack up when exposed to the unforgiving light of the camera. Ed is hounded by autograph seekers and stalked by psychos.