Though reality television is often discussed as a thoroughly 21st-century invention, it's been with us for about as long as TV itself. Recall such midcentury favorites as Queen for a Day — we have always loved watching people's lives play out without (supposedly) the guise of fiction, and we are always clamoring for new ways to do so. Tattoo-centric shows, though, are genuinely new, and when they debuted with the release of Miami Ink, they caught on immediately.
The combination of artistry, personal stories customers brought with them, and inter-shop drama from the staff proved tantalizing to a whole new world of TLC viewers when LA Ink debuted. As The Hollywood Reporter revealed in 2007, its premiere was "the most-watched series debut for the network since the January 2003 premiere of What Not to Wear," in addition to massively outstripping other series premieres of that season. Furthermore, LA Ink's premiere became TLC's highest-rated series premiere ever for adults between the ages of 18 and 34, perhaps one of the most coveted demographics in all of entertainment. There was no footing to be found, no learning curve for LA Ink to get the hang of. From the very beginning, it was a runaway hit.
