Kids on parade

While Nikki Finke is still in a tizzy about how CBS’s new show Kid Nation is going to cause the downfall of CBS and its board, the New York Times went ahead and figured out that when it comes down to it, viewers are tuning in just to spy in on interpersonal relationships. The interpersonal relationships of 10 year olds, sure, but interpersonal relationships nonetheless.

That’s something important to keep in mind. Survivor wasn’t really about the challenges, it was about Susan ranting about how she hoped to come across a dying Kelly in the desert. NBC knows this too - with the upcoming revamp of American Gladiators, they’re going to be focusing more on the competitors backstories and interactions with the Gladiators themselves.

It’s about making these real life people into characters. The success of shows like these relies on the ability of its producers to influence participants into the character roles and traits that have worked so well in the past.

One more note - Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe described the Kid Nation child labor controversy that has been in the news over the past month or two as “anti-hype,” which couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, CBS has proved a wise practitioner of “There’s no such thing as bad press,” just so long as everything is technically legal.

Photo from CBS via the NYTimes article. I don’t understand the whole western theme of the show, I would’ve preferred a Rome motif - you know, “Kid Empire.”