I watched Kid Nation and it is off-the-charts interesting. And this is coming from a single guy with no kids of his own, so I don't have that automatic personal connection with kids of my own. It's a reality show, but I've always viewed reality TV as televised social experiments that sociologists would eventually do anyway. Or maybe that's just how I justify it.
The perception of the show before tonight (probably semi-perpetuated by CBS - controversy brings ratings) is that 40 kids are plunked down in the middle of nowhere with no adults and they're told to make due. It's actually kind of like Survivor in a way, but the kids are given social tasks and duties, there are competitions for town money (it's set in a Western town; they get Buffalo nickels), and every few days every kid has the opportunity to leave and go home.
I haven't been around a group of kids since I was one myself, so I forget a lot of what makes kids kids. It was like watching development unfold. The age range was 8-15, which turns out to be a VERY significant factor in their social relationships. The most interesting parts were how the kids cooperated or fought, how some tried to lead, and how many of them were clearly emulating someone they knew back home, personality mimicking. There are so many subtle elements to the show, including how humane it is to leave a community of kids alone while a good amount of them cry for their parents. In public. The hierarchical political element to the show adds some anticipation to later episodes; the structure itself is a conflict bubble waiting to pop.
For sheer entertainment and fascination, it's definitely worth catching an episode.
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