The TV Zone

CBS has announced the 40 kids it collected in a New Mexico “ghost town” this spring to create their own “Kid Nation” for a new fall “reality” series (premiering Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m.).

Turns out no Long Island parents are among those who thought this was an awwwesome idea.

On CBS’ web site, you can now meet the cast -- I mean, real-life event participants. These kids aren’t actors, no, of course not. Then they’d have to “work” fewer hours and be paid a lot more. But the site’s promo reel -- which is all that CBS has shown to TV critics at this point, too -- reveals that young players can be just as savvy as adults when it comes to the incidents, attitudes and “roles” reality producers favor.

Which isn’t to say “Kid Nation” won’t be a huge hit, as many industry analysts are expecting. But should it be? That’s the question that came up for debate at the recent TV critics' press tour, where CBS executives and series producers defended the project.

More fuel on the fire: this new story from our sister-paper Los Angeles Times talking to some of the kids, parents and series skeptics.