Interactive television (narrative technique)

Interactive television or interactive TV, sometimes also called pseudo-interactive television to distinguish it from technologically enabled interactive television, is a term used to refer to television programs in which it is pretended that the characters and the viewing audience can interact, while in actuality they cannot. This narrative technique is often used in children's television. It is a simulated form of audience participation. When employed, characters will often break the fourth wall and ask the viewers to give them advice or the solution to a problem. Characters typically provide a short period of time for the viewers to react, and then proceed as though the viewers have given them the correct answer.