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Arts and Culture

Espionage has been a staple theme of television and film for decades, and as special effects technology gets more sophisticated, so do the story lines. One former CIA agent says spy-themed TV and film are far more glamorous than the reality -- and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Eighteen years after MTV premiered its long-running hit, "The Real World," television viewers can't seem to get enough of "reality" shows. This week, as many of the fall TV series kick off the season, on both cable and network TV, reality is still the fantasy of choice for American audiences.

Newsmaker: Spy fiction popular this fall, but is it true to life?

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