Can reality TV shows be documentaries for the masses?
Tired of the fact that most reality TV shows are populated by the same showily belligerent Los Angeles actors? So was producer Jon Kroll, so he dreamt up a twist that had lawmakers up in arms long before his show even hit the air this summer. “Amish in the City” (Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on UPN) places five Amish kids who are on rumspringa, a time during which young people are free to explore the world outside their community, in the same house with six urban kids. The resulting drama is a far cry from the exploitive, inhumane circus that critics in Congress had contended it would be. Although it has familiar beats, with the typical “Real World”-style arguments over messiness and backbiting, the show presents a surprisingly poignant departure from the typical reality-TV shouting match. Kroll, who’s worked on such unscripted mainstays as “The Amazing Race” and “Big Brother,” never could have predicted the controversy — not to mention the impressive ratings and favorable reviews — his show
