kid nation

(S01E06) No, no, no ... not Bonanza with the Ponderosa! Hop Sing could always cook up a fine feast and the Cartwrights never fussed about hard labor. The episode title refers to Bonanza City, New Mexico. You know -- 40 days, 40 kids (well, 38 kids now and almost three weeks less), and no adults. Well, they say no adults, but believe me, it's the adults putting everything in motion.

But it is indeed the kids of Kid Nation who make this show worth watching. It's the kids who, by being themselves, bring me entertainment each week.

Oh, but Bonanza City is indeed disgusting. Or, it was before the adult push of the week.

• At 8, FOX has the first game of the World Series.
• ABC has a new Pushing Daisies at 8, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS new episodes of Kid Nation, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has the series premiere of Phenomenon at 8, then new episodes of Bionic Woman and Life.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• AMC has the original Halloween at 8.
• Also at 8: Lifetime has the new romantic comedy Nature of the Beast, about a guy who turns into a werewolf.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.
• Discovery has a new Storm Chasers at 10.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E05) Is it me or was there really not much to get up in arms about this week on Kid Nation? No killed animals, no steer taunting, no religious rivalry, no bullying. What's this show coming to, eh?

Well, there was a smattering of bad behavior, but we're talking kids here. Some of these kids could be teensy adults, y'know. A lot of them certainly are more worldly than I was at their ages. And, the show reminded me that I should really study up on the chronological order of US Presidents. I definitely know the ones in my own lifetime, but I surely would put Taft in the wrong place.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, then new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, followed by new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Deal Or No Deal, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• FOX has a new Back to You at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossp Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• Food Network has a new Emeril Live at 8.
• At 9, Hallmark has the TV movie Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses, with Dick Van Dyke.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.
• Discovery has a new Storm Chasers at 10.
• HBO has a new Inside The NFL at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Better Half.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E04) Following the recipe for controversy which has been a mainstay for this show since its inception, tonight's episode of Kid Nation threw religion into the fray. So, let's take a moment to count the controversies and brouhahas thus far -- we have the child labor issue, the scripted/acting kids issue, the contract issue in which the parents promised not to sue if their kid died, the kill two chickens on television issue, and so many more.

Adults created this world created by the children, so let's get them going on religion next! Will there be fisticuffs? Love-ins? Heathens run amok? Thankfully, in this case, the kids were smarter than the adults.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Deal Or No Deal, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• There's a new Back To You on FOX at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has new Ghost Hunters.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Bravo has the Top Chef reunion show.
• Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.
• Also at 10: HBO has a new Inside The NFL.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Well, looks like all the hype and critical acclaim for Pushing Daisies worked. The show was not only the highest-rated new show in the 8pm slot this season, it was the third highest-rated new show of the year, period, right after Bionic Woman and Private Practice (this rating includes live viewing plus DVR stats).

On the night, ABC was the big winner (number one in 18-49 and households) with their lineup of Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money. CBS was next (number two in households and 18-49) with Kid Nation, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY. NBC was a close third (both 18-49 and households) with Deal Or No Deal, Bionic Woman, and Life. FOX was next (fourth in both) with Back To You, 'Til Death, and Kitchen Nightmares. And The CW was fifth, as always (in both categories), with America's Next Top Model and Gossip Girl.

Bionic Woman dropped around 30% from its debut and Life was down 28% from it's debut. Ouch.

(S01E03) Let's see ... no animals were killed in the filming of tonight's episode of Kid Nation. A few outhouses might have received considerable damage, a lot of pizzas were wasted, and they made ten-year-old Taylor cry. Oh, I think she deserved some sort of comeuppance, but I still felt sorry for her when it came. I suppose she's going to have to deal with it, eh?

• At 6:30,TBS has the Red Sox/Angels game, followed by the Cubs/Diamondbacks.
• At 8, ABC has the series premiere of Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Deal Or No Deal, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• There's a new Back To You on FOX at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• At 9, Lifetime has the new TV movie Lost in the Dark.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters.
• At 10, Comedy Central has the season premiere of South Park, then the season premiere of The Sarah Silverman Program.
• Bravo has the live season finale of Top Chef at 10.
• HBO has a new Inside the NFL at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

There's nothing like a good brouhaha, is there? Kid Nation was controversial before it even hit the air and the controversy continues. TMZ is reporting that the show is seeking a new location for next season outside of the United States due to the child labor issue. The show's official website has had an application link up since the site itself was launched, but it appears the deadline for second season applications has passed.

Then there's a new controversy -- the slaughtering of two chickens shown during last week's episode. According to our friends at Buddy TV, the animal rights group Last Chance for Animals criticized the show for killing the chickens, then airing the slaughter. LCA also condemned YouTube for not removing clips of the show which were posted by several people.

(S01E02) It's a bit of an odd twist to the Shakespeare quote, but certainly fitting for this episode of Kid Nation, don't you think? For some reason, I'm not too surprised that 11-year-old Jared has a slight familiarity with the classics. In the first episode, Jared was the king of the one-liners.

It's a shame he didn't continue ...

To kill or not to kill, that is the question
Whether 'tis nobler to slaughter chickens
Or cover thine eyes whilst Greg does it
To die, to sleep, perchance to dream
As the chickens shuffled off this mortal coil
For the sake of reality television

And you thought Monday and Tuesday were jam-packed with premieres and new episodes...

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by the series premieres of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then the season premieres of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8, then the series premieres of Bionic Woman and Life.
• FOX has a new Back To You at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new installment of The War on PBS at 8.
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8, then a new Gossip Girl.
• Also at 8: G4 has a new X-Play, followed by a new Code Monkeys.
• At 9, MSNBC has a Democratic Debate from New Hampshire.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
• At 10, Bravo has a new Top Chef.
• Also at 10: TCM has a Harold Lloyd comedy, The Freshman.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

1. Sunday Night Football - Dallas vs. Chicago (NBC)
2. Survivor: China (CBS)
3. CSI (CBS)
4. Sunday Night Football Pre-Kick (NBC)
5. Cold Case (CBS)
6. Deal Or No Deal - Mon (NBC)
7. Shark (CBS)
8. 60 Minutes (CBS)
9. Without A Trace (CBS)
10. Two and a Half Men (CBS)
11. Family Guy (FOX)
12. Football Night In America - Part 3 (NBC)
13. Deal Or No Deal - Weds (NBC)
14. CSI: Miami (CBS)
15. The Simpsons (FOX)
16. The O.T. (FOX)
17. Back To You (FOX)
18. Kid Nation (CBS)
19. CSI: NY (CBS)
20. Desperate Housewives (ABC)

"Mess O' Potomac": If there was ever any doubt that Bush has no mental checkpoint to filter his unscripted words, Bush's recent comment, "I heard somebody say, 'Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas," pretty much sealed the deal. Oh, that deal is so very, very sealed. Also, I'm not sure how well the Congress/Lionel Hutz comparison works, but I like it whenever someone finds an excuse to use a Simpsons clip.

Looks like CBS and FOX have won the first real ratings battle of the new season.

Last night's premiere of Kid Nation on CBS grabbed 9 million viewers, while the premiere of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares over on FOX had 6.6 million. When it comes to ratings points, however, the shows were really close, with Nightmares edging Kid Nation by just a little bit. Kid Nation ran over a little bit so that might change the ratings results later today.

I think it would be great if Ramsay guest starred on Kid Nation. Imagine him coming into the town and seeing what these kids were cooking and screaming and swearing at them? "Rock candy? Are you $#&*! stupid? Get off your arses!"