or


[07/08/04 - 12:00 AM]
'Amish,' 'Player' to Hit UPN's Summer Schedule
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The Amish are officially in business at UPN as the network has revealed production has been completed on its controversial new series "Amish in the City."

The project, which quickly drew criticism after being announced in January (read the story), will premiere with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, July 28 at 8:00/7:00c. New episodes will then air regularly on Wednesdays at 8:00/7:00c.

Steven Cantor and Daniel Laikind, the duo behind the acclaimed Amish documentary "Devil's Playground," are the executive producers of the New Line Television project, which tracks five Amish youths as they room with six non-Amish teens in a Hollywood Hills home. The quintet's participation is rooted in the Amish coming-of-age ritual known as "rumspringa," which gives young men and women permission to explore the outside world in order to ultimately decide if they will commit to the Amish church. According to published statistics, between 85 to 90 percent of the teens that participate in rumspringa do decide to return to the Amish life.

The producers stress that there's no competition or prize involved in the series as it simply documents the two group's interactions. Critics of the series nevertheless say it degrades the Amish church and lifestyle.

An official press release confirming the news was released this afternoon:

UPN TO PREMIERE "AMISH IN THE CITY," A NEW REALITY SERIES, WITH A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR EPISODE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 28 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT)

AMISH IN THE CITY, UPN's new reality series, will provide a unique look into the Amish journey of discovery, known as rumspringa, through a group of young adults who have left their spiritually devout, rural communities to experience life in the big city, with six roommates from various metropolitan areas. The series premieres with a special two-hour episode, Wednesday, July 28 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on UPN.

Said Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, UPN: "We�re proud to present this series, which is very different than any of its reality predecessors. Foremost in our minds as we went forward was to treat with the highest respect the young Amish people who were entering a world they had never before experienced. In working with our producers, two of whom produced �The Devil's Playground,� a film that touched on many of these same issues, we believe we have succeeded in developing a program that is both serious and entertaining, and ultimately very thought provoking."

AMISH IN THE CITY will follow the stories of five Amish young adults (three men, two women) and their six roommates from diverse backgrounds (three men, three women) as they come to Los Angeles and learn to live with each other in an ultra-modern Hollywood Hills home. This one-hour weekly series chronicles how relationships develop and viewpoints collide in a house shared by young people from very different cultures, while also introducing viewers to the intensely personal Amish coming-of-age experience, called rumspringa (a Pennsylvania Dutch word loosely translated as "running wild"). During this religious rite of passage, young Amish men and women are allowed to leave their homes to explore the outside world, until they decide whether or not they want to join the Amish church and be welcomed back into their families or stay in the outside world.

From moments serious and significant to lighter and trivial, cameras catch everything as the Amish journey outside their quiet rural areas and are gradually introduced to both the delights and challenges of modern metropolitan life. At the same time, the Amish kids give their city counterparts insight into their beliefs, values and a lifestyle dedicated to faith, modesty and unadorned means.

The city roommates include a handsome swim teacher, a fashion-forward party girl, a colorful club promoter, a busboy/musician, an inner-city student, and a strict vegan. While these six people are surprised to learn they will live with the Amish, the entire group soon share a California adventure, complete with wide-ranging daily activities meant to be fun, unexpected and enlightening for everyone in the house. Some of these excursions include a first-time visit to the ocean for the Amish, working with the mentally disabled, a helicopter trip to a resort island and walking the red carpet at a Hollywood movie premiere.

AMISH IN THE CITY will regularly air on Wednesday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

The executive producers are Jon Kroll ("Amazing Race," "Big Brother"), Steven Cantor ("Devil's Playground," "Family Bonds") and Daniel Laikind ("Devil's Playground," "Family Bonds"). AMISH IN THE CITY is a production of New Line Television in association with Stick Figure Productions.

Meanwhile, "The Player," the network's less clandestine summer project, is also expected to receive a premiere date in the next few days. Industry insiders say the series, which tests a group of ethnically diverse young singles on their dating skills, will air on Tuesdays at 9:00/8:00c beginning in early August.

This article was updated with additional information on Thursday, July 8.





  [july 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· AMAZING RACE, THE (CBS)
· AMISH IN THE CITY (UPN)
· BIG BROTHER (CBS)
· FAMILY BONDS (HBO)
· PLAYER, THE (UPN)





[07/16/25 - 04:01 PM]
ESPN Airs Another of Its Most-Watched WNBA Games Ever: Indiana Fever vs Connecticut Sun Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers, Up 48% from Last Year's ESPN Average
Said telecast peaked with 2 million viewers.

[07/16/25 - 12:23 PM]
FOX's Biblical Event Series "The Faithful" Casts Minnie Driver, Jeffrey Donovan and Natacha Karam
Plus: Danny Cannon has been tapped to direct and executive produce the premiere.

[07/16/25 - 12:01 PM]
Emmy and BAFTA Award Nominee Jack Lowden Will Star in "Berlin Noir," Apple's Upcoming Adaptation of Philip Kerr's Bestselling Crime Novels
Germany, 1928. A newly-promoted detective. A string of gruesome murders. Welcome to Berlin Noir.

[07/16/25 - 12:00 PM]
Video: "Murder 360" - Official Trailer - Paramount+
Stream the new original docuseries premiering August 5, exclusively on Paramount+.

[07/16/25 - 11:00 AM]
"The Walking Dead: Dead City" to Return for Third Season, with "Walking Dead" Veteran Seth Hoffman Joining as Showrunner
Hoffman marks?his return to the Walking Dead Universe having spent three years as co-executive producer and writer on "The Walking Dead."

[07/16/25 - 09:35 AM]
Video: FX's "Necaxa" - Official Trailer & Key Art Available Now
Eva Longoria teams up with Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds for FX's newest football docuseries following one of Mexico's oldest and most storied clubs, Club Necaxa.

[07/16/25 - 09:07 AM]
The CW Network Picks Up Hit Drama Series "Sullivan's Crossing" for Season 4
The announcement follows the previously confirmed Season 4 renewal by Bell Media's CTV and Crave, and Fremantle.

[07/16/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Geek Girl" Season 2 Start of Production Announcement
Joining the cast is Layton Williams, who will play the role of Onassis.

[07/16/25 - 07:25 AM]
AXS TV Salutes the Female Trailblazers of Rock, Pop, Motown & More with the "Women in Music" Marathon, Airing August 2 & 3 Starting at 11A ET
From soulful songstresses and enduring pop queens, to the rock trailblazers who turned the boys' club upside down, AXS TV celebrates some of the most legendary female artists of all time.

[07/16/25 - 07:06 AM]
The Nader Sisters Trade the Louisiana Bayou for New York City in New Reality Series "Love Thy Nader," Premiering on Hulu and Freeform
The bold coming-of-age reality series follows the unapologetic and determined Nader sisters - Brooks, Sarah Jane, Grace Ann and Mary Holland - who left their humble beginnings in the Louisiana bayou for the glamour and grind of New York City.

[07/16/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Stranger Things 5" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Every battle has led to this.

[07/16/25 - 05:31 AM]
"Turn of the Tide" Is Back: The Second Season Arrives on Netflix October 17
In this new season, Eduardo (José Condessa), three months after his departure, returns to find a completely different reality in Rabo de Peixe.

[07/16/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Memento Mori" - Season 3 - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The final season arrives August 1 on Prime Video.

[07/16/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: UK" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
A new batch of singles in the UK search for love sight unseen. Who will make it from the pods, to living together, to all the way up the aisle?

[07/15/25 - 02:46 PM]
Apple Lands Record-Breaking 81 Emmy Award Nominations with "Severance" Leading As This Year's Most-Nominated Series and "The Studio" Becoming the Most-Nominated Freshman Comedy in History
Additionally, with top program nominations for drama "Slow Horses" and comedy "Shrinking," Apple TV+ becomes the only network to have multiple titles nominated in the Outstanding Comedy and Drama series categories.