Reality TV May Have Just Gone Too Far

[Anonymous]

They will cook their own meals, clean their own outhouses, haul their own water and even run their own businesses - including the old town saloon (root beer only). They'll also create a real government - four kid leaders who will guide the group through their adventure, pass laws and set bedtimes. Through it all, they'll cope with regular childhood emotions and situations: homesickness, peer pressure and the urge to break every rule they've ever known.

At the end of each episode, all 40 kids will gather at an old fashioned Town Hall meeting where they will debate the issues facing Bonanza City. They'll show wisdom beyond their years and the unflinching candor that only kids can exhibit.  There are no eliminations on KID NATION - you only go home if you want to. And in every Town Hall meeting, kids may raise their hands and leave. Will they stick it out?  

In the end, will these kids prove to adults everywhere (and their own parents!) that they have the vision to build a better world than the pioneers who came before them? And just as importantly, will they come together as a cohesive unit, or will they abandon all responsibility and succumb to the childhood temptations that lead to round-the-clock chaos?  

KID NATION is produced by Emmy Award winner Tom Forman ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition") for Tom Forman Prods. and Good TV, Inc.  KID NATION will air on CBS in the Fall on Wednesdays from 8 to 9PM ET.

Posted by Joe Reality on May 16, 2007 at 06:53 PM in Kid Nation | Permalink



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If the above mentioned CBS show "Kid Nation" is what replaces "Jericho", then this proves that the dumbing down of America is nearly complete. Shame to CBS, shame to you people who help the networks pile this crap on to my TV.

Posted by: Dean Tyler | May 17, 2007 at 07:51 PM

I can't beleive this is the show taking Jericho's time slot! I won't be watching Kid Nation, or anything else on CBS. They just lost me as a viewer -- I'll be taking my 18-49 demographic self to a new network.

Posted by: David | May 17, 2007 at 08:00 PM

Bring Jericho Back!!! KidNAtion is already a failure

Posted by: George | May 17, 2007 at 08:08 PM

So let me get this straight. 40 sets of parents abandon their children to complete strangers for a month during their most influential time of their lives, let them do whatever they want with no adult supervision, and CBS wants to put it on the air? So how is that not child neglect? Bring back Jericho and dump this crappy idea.

Posted by: Greg | May 17, 2007 at 08:16 PM

I give this replacement 6 episodes before it's CANNED!

Posted by: Wildcards88 | May 17, 2007 at 08:23 PM

CBS replaced Jericho with this POS?

Posted by: Mike | May 17, 2007 at 08:26 PM

Cancel Jericho for this? Please! Jericho! Jericho! Jericho! Bring it back!!!

Posted by: April | May 17, 2007 at 08:27 PM

What an absolute insult to our intelligence. Another reality show, especially with the contents of this apparent drivel, is bad enough. Of course it's not the show's fault that it's in the slot that Jericho should be in...that's the result of short sighted individuals that can't see the forest for the trees.

Shame on you CBS. Bring back Jericho. The only thing I'll watch on your network otherwise is football...because I HAVE NO CHOICE if I want to watch my team. Other than that...forget it.

Posted by: Scott | May 17, 2007 at 08:34 PM

KID NATION is replacing JERICHO? CBS execs have lost their minds - they are NUTS !!!

CBS wants war? Well war is what they are going to get!


Posted by: Ghost of Johnston Green | May 17, 2007 at 08:34 PM

wait a minute....this is what is replacing Jericho...are you kidding....what is the demographic focus? who on earth would this appeal to? bring back jericho and spare us this garbage!

Posted by: p funk | May 17, 2007 at 08:39 PM

just goes to show you that CBS does not want intelligent viewers, they only want people who will sit and stare, open mouthed, and with little brain activity ... that way when they decide to cancel their show they won't get the response they are getting now with the cancellation of Jericho!

Posted by: Jericho-Lass | May 17, 2007 at 08:43 PM

You're kidding me, right? This is the kinda crud CBS is replacing Jericho with? Unbelievable. Drop this crud and bring our show back!

Posted by: Yvonne | May 17, 2007 at 09:04 PM

This is complete and total crap! Not only is this just wrong, its replacing a genuinely amazing show! Jericho is unique and went where no other show has, or will go.
And its not their fault they lost viewers, its the same people who took them down!!!

THAT IS WRONG!

Posted by: Loren | May 17, 2007 at 09:07 PM

this show will NOT be watched by me or my kids as it is repacing Jericho.............bring Jericho back!!!!!

Posted by: Linda Bee | May 17, 2007 at 09:09 PM

Why is this junk reality show replacing Jericho? CBS has no clue on what they are doing altogether, just look at their radio division. DO NOT LET CBS WIN!!
JERICHO WILL LIVE ON!

Posted by: Nick Dawson | May 17, 2007 at 09:10 PM

what a shcok CBS cancels their best new show in years, Jericho, to replace it with more reality garbage so they don't have to pay actors. There is also a great risk one of these kids is gonan get hurt. Jericho FOREVER!!

Posted by: Jesse | May 17, 2007 at 09:15 PM

It is truly dumbfounding that CBS has replaced Jericho, one of the best dramas to hit TV in years, with the most fraudulent "reality show" of all time. As if we're truly to believe that these kids are "on their own in a ghost town". Of course there will be adult supervison galore just off camera, and of course there will be plenty of kid coaching to make for more entertaining television.

"Watch Kids Do Exactly What Adults Striving For 15 Minutes of Fame Want Them To" next season on CBS. This is a new low in television programming.

Posted by: Jeremy | May 17, 2007 at 09:16 PM

They replace Jericho with this? Who the hell is running CBS. A Monkey.

Posted by: John | May 17, 2007 at 09:17 PM

We want Jericho back!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Kimmi | May 17, 2007 at 09:18 PM

The cancellation of Jericho on CBS is one of the worst corporate decisions since Star Trek was cancelled in the 1960's. Any executive who cancels a well-written, superbly-researched and superbly-acted television and replaces it with brainless pabulum deserves to be fired.

I have written CBS and the advertising sponsors and voiced my displeasure. I sincerely hope the advertisers are paying attention; I and I alone decide where I spend my money.

Jericho took me away from HBO and canceling Jericho is driving me right back.

Way to go CBS! HBO applauds your very stupid decision to cancel Jericho!

Now to remove CBS from my "Favorites" and I'm done.


Posted by: Curt Dalton | May 17, 2007 at 09:21 PM

CBS stands for COMPANY BROADCASTING STUPIDITY. You have really done it this time with the cancellation of Jericho. Like the others said, you are insulting the intelligence of your viewers who actually THINK. Seriously, what is wrong with you? You stated in a letter to Jericho fans that a show with dedicated fans would watch it no matter how long it's been off the air...true enough, but you sabotaged the success of this show. I am sick of your network.

Posted by: kay | May 17, 2007 at 09:27 PM

I can't believe they are replacing Jericho with this kind of a show. Who do they expect to watch it?

Support Jericho, Support CBS

Cancel Jericho, Cancel CBS

Posted by: Holly | May 17, 2007 at 09:32 PM

Does anyone over at CBS even watch TV anymore? People need to start getting fired or take up a janitorial role because this new lineup is GARBAGE!!! Bring back Jericho!!!! Jericho is unlike any show I have ever experienced before...it...like Heroes...has hooked me from beginning until end, only Jericho I have never missed an episode of...Someone...PLEASE...BRING BACK JERICHO!!!!!

Posted by: Bret | May 17, 2007 at 09:36 PM

NO NO NO NO!!!!! Bring back Jericho! This is the worst Idea ever. ANYONE EVER READ "LORD OF THE FLIES"? This spells canceled in a week. Bring back Jericho.

Posted by: Nathan Conley | May 17, 2007 at 09:36 PM

This is beyond ridiculous! Did a 5 year old come up with concept?? Fire these idiots and hire some adults with an IQ over 50. Does CBS wonder why Americans are abandoning their network for cable??? because there are millions of us out here who actually have brains who refuse to watch the idiotic crap they put on the airwaves. Bring back Jericho!!!!

Posted by: Lynn | May 17, 2007 at 09:38 PM

Is this the best CBS can do? CBS gutted Jericho on purpose and now want to feed us kid drivel.

I think I will delete CBS from my cable box - not that I will miss anything.

Posted by: Bill | May 17, 2007 at 09:39 PM

Jericho has to be brought back. OMG replacing such a great show by a show like this?

This is just some of it, read the rest at their site.

[Anonymous]

I can't seem to find a link, can someone post that? What is this about, what show are these people so upset about? Brat Camp?

[Anonymous]

I have never seen KID NATION or heard of it, did anyone see it?

[psy]

hmmm... i am not sure CBS is really that stupid at all, as some imply.  Perhaps they know just how much of a failure this will be, and merely wish to demonstrate how much the "brats" needs good supervision and discipline... a-la "brat-camp".

conditioning of the public.  pure and simple.

"this is what reality is folks...  disregard what you see around every day!  we show you the truth!"

[Anonymous]

This just looks STUPID exploitation of children for profit.

[psy]

This just looks STUPID exploitation of children for profit.

I could watch about two minutes of that before wanting to throw up.

I can't quite pinpoint why, but I could not watch the rest of that.

[hanzomon4]

@Psy, puking is the natural reaction to trying to swallow shit like this.

[Anonymous]

July 15, 2007

The Founding of 'Kid Nation'
How CBS Navigated Legal, PR and Logistical Shoals to Produce Key Show
By James Hibberd

CBS encamped 40 kids in an abandoned New Mexico ghost town for more than a month. The kids performed on camera for more than 14 hours at a stretch, seven days a week, making their own meals.

They were filming during the school year, yet no studio teachers were present. They were working on a major television production, yet no parents were on the set.

The show is CBS’ upcoming reality series "Kid Nation." When rivals first got wind of the concept, they declared the production an impossible endeavor: From a legal, labor, public relations and logistical standpoint, this show should never have worked.

Yet CBS, long considered the most conservative of the broadcast networks, quietly and without mishap shot the first season of "Nation" before the media had even a whiff of what’s become one of the most talked-about series of the fall—and seemingly stayed within the lines of applicable labor laws in the process.

How’d they do it? By literally declaring the production a "summer camp" instead of a place of employment; by taking advantage of a loophole in New Mexico labor rules two months before the state legislature tightened the law, and using a ghost town that wasn’t exactly a ghost town.

Emmy-winning "Extreme Make­over: Home Edition" executive producer Tom Forman was bored with the existing crop of reality shows when he had the inspiration for "Kid Nation." Every new series seemed to fit firmly into worn-out templates.

There was nothing that felt like that first season of "Survivor," a head-turning social experiment that changed the rules governing television entertainment.

Moreover, with the viewership of reality veterans "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" dropping each season, the network that housed Mr. Forman’s production deal, CBS, needed a buzz-worthy new title to complement its more risqué fall dramas.

Networks had produced reality shows with kids before (Disney Channel had a show called "Bug Juice" set at a summer camp that’s not entirely dissimilar to "Nation"). But Mr. Forman and CBS reality head Ghen Maynard wanted to go further than any production had previously attempted in terms of isolating children from adults and the outside world.

"It’s hard to find good adult reality characters. They all know what they’re supposed to do," said Mr. Forman, giving an interview on "Nation" for the first time since CBS’ May upfront presentation to advertisers. "You need participants who didn’t grow up on this stuff."

The network immediately recognized the appeal—and difficulty—of the show. There were a million "what if?" disaster scenarios, such as a child getting injured on the set.

In a television genre known for breakneck turnaround times, "Kid Nation" spent six months in development at CBS as lawyers, labor and production experts vetted the plan.

One key point: Finding the right location. According to the CBS preview, "Nation" charges 40 kids with "fixing their forefathers’ mistakes" by rebuilding the "completely dead ... former mining town" of Bonanza City, New Mexico, into a functioning community.

"Nation" shot at the Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, a privately owned town setting that has been featured in films such as "Silverado" and "All the Pretty Horses." The ranch was built on the ruins of Bonanza City by various production companies. Although a few original structures remain, the bulk of the town was constructed during the past few decades.

Using a set built for filming not only made it easier for the "Nation" crew, but also was a safer environment for the kids (who ranged from 8 to 15 years old).

But even more important was the state housing the town.

New Mexico has long been considered to have some of the most lenient labor rules governing kids on entertainment productions. Two years ago, TNT ran afoul of Native American groups after extras claimed adults and kids were overworked and mistreated on "Into the West."

On July 1, New Mexico passed legislation closing a federal loophole that had exempted television and theatrical productions from child labor law restrictions.

"We didn’t have anything in our statutes that said they can’t work a child 10 hours a day, so we had hoped that [productions] would operate in the best interests and do what’s best for the children," said Tiffany Starr-Salcido, who specializes in child workplace rights at the New Mexico Department of Labor.

Today New Mexico (like California, New York and most states) has strict limits on the number of hours children can work on a production (18 hours during a school week, and no shooting after 7 p.m.). Many popular filmmaking states also require the presence of studio teachers and a parent or guardian, as well as regular meals.

The New Mexico labor law changes weren’t prompted by "Nation," but they likely will prevent a second season from shooting there.

On "Nation," kids were on camera from dawn till dusk, and then some.

"We would wake up the kids at 7 a.m. and were shooting them until sometimes midnight," said a member of the production crew.

Kids were on the show for seven days a week, for up to 40 days, and were responsible for cooking their own meals. Though there were no teachers or parents (aside from a few at the start of the shoot), an array of physicians and an emergency medical technician were available at all times.

In addition to shooting in a state that didn’t govern child labor on TV shows, the producers legally characterized the show in a unique way to avoid complaints that kids were overworked.

"We were essentially running a summer camp," Mr. Forman said. "They’re participants in a reality show. They’re not ‘working.’ They’re living and we’re taping what’s going on. That’s the basis behind every [legal] document for the show."

Unlike summer camp, however, these kids were paid a $5,000 stipend for completing the production, along with lucrative "gold star" awards won during the shoot.

The summer-camp argument is similar to contract logic on some reality shows shot in a documentary style. There have been lawsuits by reality show participants that hinged on whether they were "employees" or not.

The biggest difference with "Nation" is that such long-form and immersive reality show productions usually cast adults.

As for the number of hours on the set, Mr. Forman said the kids decided their own curfew.

"We were basically camp counselors that followed the kids instead of led," Mr. Forman said. "We were the safety net if things had ever really got out of hand."

Sources agreed that, aside from a minor cooking burn, things never did get out of hand, and that no kids were harmed in the making of the show. In fact, crew members took pains to emphasize that they, and the kids, had an uncommonly positive experience on the set.

"The kids loved it," one crew member said. "Some have been depressed returning to normal life."

As for Mr. Forman, he and CBS are confident "Nation" will attract audiences, and sources said production is already scouting for a second-season cast.

"I expected a lot of off-camera hand-holding, but they just didn’t need it," Mr. Forman said. "The kids were better human beings than you’ve ever seen on television. And when they decide to be mean to each other, they’re horrible. You’re seeing kids at their absolute best and worst."

UPDATE 3: ‘CBS addresses 'Kid Nation'

UPDATE 2: ‘CBS addresses 'Kid Nation'

UPDATE: CBS addresses 'Kid Nation'

Read James Hibberd’s ongoing TV industry news and ratings coverage in his new blog Rated.

Tags: CBS, Kid Nation, Labor, Print Edition
Posted on July 15, 2007 9:00 PM | Permalink

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Comments (378)
George Franklin: CBS a long considered conservative network, are you joking? Are any of the major three networks considered conservative? Mr. Hibberd, these so called "reality shows" have warped your perspective on what constitutes conservative programming.


Posted by George Franklin | July 15, 2007 10:12 PM

Matt: Won't the kids simply rescind their contracts? How could a judge possibly affirm the contracts?

Posted by Matt | July 15, 2007 10:13 PM

FRANK: CBS conservative ?? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING.

SOUNDS LIKE A FREE LUNCH FOR A NEW MOVIE SET.

Posted by FRANK | July 15, 2007 10:25 PM

FRANK: CBS conservative ?? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING.

SOUNDS LIKE A FREE LUNCH FOR A NEW MOVIE SET.

Posted by FRANK | July 15

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we saw that when it was posted at the beginning of this thread.  Why the quote?

[Anonymous]

http://http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/07/the_founding_of_kid_nation.php

[Anonymous]

http://http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/07/the_founding_of_kid_nation.php

[Froderik]

This thread has gone too far.

[Anonymous]

This thread has gone too far.

 :rofl:

[Anonymous]

My bad, I posted the first one.  Was trying to copy the link, and it posted the page, different site though.  So now there is a link.  Sorry you found fault in it.

[Anonymous]

I think it was just a joke.