BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The latest controversial reality show is CBS's "Kid Nation" (premiering at 8 p.m. Sept. 19), which takes 40 children ages 8 to 15 and sends them to a New Mexico "ghost town" (most of which was previously built for film sets) for 40 days. Their goal is to build a new society, doing their own cooking along the way.

Ultimately, the show calls into question the parenting of anyone who allowed their child to participate -- the children were not able to regularly call home -- but the network is on the hook, too, for creating the inducement.

Children who participated in the show, filmed in April and May, went through a battery of psychological tests, and a child psychologist and medic were standing by on the set (the kids took time off of school to fit the production schedule). None of the children were "voted off" the show, but they could choose to leave during a town hall meeting held every three days.

"If you judge the show on the [description], it seems outrageous," acknowledged executive producer Tom Forman, who previously created ABC's hit "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and developed last winter's CBS flop "Armed & Famous." "If I don't seem to share everybody's concerns, it's not that I'm not a parent and not that I don't care. I have the benefit of a little bit more information."

And he's right that critics shouldn't judge the show until we see a full episode -- only clips have been screened so far. But the concept alone is troubling for the obvious reason that it seems as though the show's entertainment value is based on exploiting children who are not acting but appearing on TV as themselves.

Since it was filmed, child labor laws in New Mexico have changed to the point that the series could no longer be made there.

"It's less child labor laws than labor laws," Forman said. "One of the issues we run into when we make reality television shows or news and documentaries: The participants are just that. They're participants. They're not acting. ... They're going to do whatever they do, and we're going to tape it. ... And on that basis, we didn't see a labor problem."

Forman said viewers will be surprised by the degree to which the children succeed in their town-building.

"The things they do and the maturity they show out there far exceeds anything anybody was expecting and anybody can possibly imagine," Forman said, promising to take great care in editing the show so as not to give any participant a "crybaby" reputation that might have a lasting affect.

CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler characterized "Kid Nation" as a series designed to make noise and draw attention.

"I think in our legacy of reality shows, to really get out there and change the landscape of television, you have to sort of stir public debate," Tassler said. "We know we're going to create some controversy. We know people are going to be talking and discussing.

"I don't want that to have a negative conversation. It's good that we're discussing the issues and the challenges and the experiences that these kids have to go through. But I think the whole objective was to get out there, do something different, and try and reach out and have people talk about the show, which is what's happening."

Tassler said the kids who signed up to appear on "Kid Nation" "were looking for an opportunity to make a statement, create a new society. They were idealists. Obviously, when we talked to these parents, they knew full well what was involved, and they embraced this opportunity for their kids."

What statement would an 8-year-old want to make? "You would be incredibly surprised," she said. "They're incredibly articulate. They have very strong opinions and, in many cases, their own world views."

	Justin Lubin, CBS Fans are still clamoring for Skeet Ulrich and "Jericho." Click photo for larger image.

Nuts to us

First they sent nuts, then they went nuts.

This week "Jericho" fans bombarded TV critics here with pestering e-mails asking for any and all information on their favorite show that comes out of CBS's portion of press tour (as if we wouldn't have done that without their encouragement).

It's not just TV critics on the receiving end of the "Jericho" jihad. After bombarding network executives with all varieties of nuts after the show was canceled -- the nuts were a reference to a line of dialogue in the May season finale -- CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler said she continues to hear from fans even though the show's been renewed. While buying a piece of camera equipment at a neighborhood store, the clerk saw her name on her credit card and recognized it from his involvement in efforts to save the show.

"And he said, 'I sent you an e-mail,'" she recalled. "I was like, 'Oh, my God.'"

A few weeks ago she was getting a checkup from a new doctor who came in to give her test results.

"He comes in with his white lab coat and puts his hands in his pocket. And I'm like, 'Oh, God, there's going to be bad news,'" she said. "He pulls out a bag of peanuts. I thought, 'Oh, Jesus.' But it really was an indication that audiences were really engaged and were quite invested in this program."

Producers had already conceived of a story for a 22-episode second season before cancellation. Post-resurrection and with only a seven-episode order, producers have tightened the story and reined in the number of locations where the story will take place.

The feud between Jericho and neighboring town New Bern will continue to simmer, while the government from Cheyenne, Wyo., will come in as an occupying force to help the towns.

With the occupation, "Jericho" executive producer Carol Barbee said the show will take a page from Iraq, similar to what "Battlestar Galactica" did earlier this year, to explore "what does it feel like to be the people having to be held apart and occupied? This is their government; it's not a foreign occupation. "

As season two begins, Stanley (Brad Beyer) and Mimi (Alicia Coppola) will get engaged, but the big story will be "the mission Hawkins (Lennie James) and Jake (Skeet Ulrich) have to do to save the world," Barbee said.

The show's large cast will be pared. The only series regular, in addition to those above, listed in press materials are Kenneth Mitchell, who plays Eric Green, and Ashley Scott, who plays Emily Sullivan. The others will have recurring or guest roles, including Sprague Grayden, who plays Heather Lisinski. Guest star Titus Welliver, introduced in the season finale, will not be back due to scheduling conflicts, but another character will be introduced to take his place.

Barbee said the decision to kill off series star Gerald McRaney at the end of last season was made to allow the Jake character to evolve into the leader he was meant to be. She did not rule out a McRaney guest spot in a flashback episode, but it's not planned for the second season.

"Jericho" production begins next week with the whole season filmed by late September, which will be before the show gets back on the air (expect it to join the schedule when CBS's first drama fails).

Tassler said CBS opted to bring back the show for several reasons, including a high level of recording on the DVR and the audience involvement. She acknowledged that taking the program off the air several months last season "maybe wasn't good for the show."

Now the network is charging fans with the responsibility to churn up enough interest to keep the show going. Judging by their fervor, fans seem more than willing to promote season two and the Oct. 2 DVD release of season one.

"We've really said to the fans, who have been incredibly loyal and incredibly devoted, 'You have got to be our "Jericho" Rangers. You've got to recruit more viewers,'" Tassler said. "And so far, it looks like that's what we're going to do."

Just don't harangue TV critics. There are more programs than just this show that we need to cover.

TV Q&A

The TV Q&A column is taking the week off, but feel free to submit questions for next week's edition at post-gazette.com/tv/questions.