CBS has announced that Kid Nation, a new Lord of the Flies-like reality series in which 40 children will have 40 days to establish a fully-functioning community in an uninhabited ghost town, will be part of the network's Fall 2007 primetime schedule and air Wednesdays at 8PM ET/PT.
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Ranging in age between 8- and 15-years-old, the 40 kids will find themselves in Bonanza City, a ghost town that has been uninhabited since the 19th century. Similar to PBS' Frontier House and Texas Ranch House docu-reality series, the kids -- who will be without any modern comforts or the watchful eyes of any adults -- will spend 40 days attempting to cook their own meals; clean their own outhouses; carry their own water; and even oversee their own businesses in an effort to create a new sustainable society.
Due to the lack of adult supervision -- parental or otherwise -- the kids will also establish their own municipal government, with four young leaders passing laws and dealing with the common problems that plague most towns on a regular basis. At the end of each Kid Nation episode, the young residents of Bonanza City will gather at a Town Hall-style meeting where they will be given the opportunity to debate and discuss the issues of the community in an adult-like manner.
While Kid Nation won't feature any eliminations, the kids are free to leave whenever they so choose. With no grand prize at stake for those who make it the entire 40 days, the goal is for the kids to instead prove to the adult world that they are able to create a livable, workable society.
According to Daily Variety, Kid Nation (which has already completed filming) was originally scheduled to air this summer until CBS executives -- reportedly having "made finding the next big reality hit a huge priority" -- became excited about its breakout potential and decided to make the show part of its 2007-2008 schedule.
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Kid Nation is one of five new series CBS unveiled on Wednesday that will make their debut during the Fall 2007 primetime programming schedule. The other shows will be Viva Laughlin, a mystery drama that incorporates Broadway musical-like singing performances; Cane, an "epic drama" about a Cuban-American family that runs an immensely successful run and sugar business in South Florida; Moonlight, a romantic thriller about a vampire who works as a private investigator; and The Big Bang Theory, a sitcom about two male geeks and a their sexy new female neighbor.
In addition to Kid Nation and its other new television series, CBS also announced it has ordered another installment of The Amazing Race, however the twelfth season of the four-time Emmy-Award winning reality competition series won't be part of the network's initial fall lineup and will instead debut later in the 2007-2008 season. Survivor: China -- the long-running CBS reality competition series' fifteenth installment -- will air this fall in Survivor's regular Thursdays at 8PM ET/PT time slot.
Despite it's kid-friendly concept, Kid Nation's Wednesdays at 8PM ET/PT time period will serve as a lead-in for adult dramas Criminal Minds at 9PM ET/PT and CSI: NY at 10PM ET/PT.
Kid Nation is produced by Tom Forman for Tom Forman Prods. and Good TV, Inc.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio