Amish in the City | |
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Genre | Reality |
Created by | Jon Kroll |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 9 |
Production | |
Running time | 52 minutes |
Production company(s) |
New Line Television Stick Figure Productions |
Release | |
Original network | UPN |
Original release | July 28 – September 21, 2004 |
Amish in the City is an American reality television series which premiered on UPN on July 28, 2004. The plot revolved around five Amish teenagers experiencing "modern" (non-Amish) culture by living in a house with six mainstream American teenagers.
The show follows the Amish teenagers as they explore their freedom from the Amish religious code, which is a common element of the Rumspringa ("running around") period before they decide whether to join the Amish church. Typically, nearly 90% of teenagers end their Rumspringa with the choice to be baptized as Amish; however, at the conclusion of the show, it was unclear which of the show's participants chose not to return to the Amish church and which went back to the Amish way of life. Many accused the show of giving the participants an unrealistic view of "modern" culture and of showing the behavior of the unadjusted Amish like a "spectator sport" for mainstream American viewers. The producers stated that they plan to follow the original series with updates on the current status of the cast, especially since their decisions at the end of the series may change.
The concept was initially denounced by some for appearing to capitalize upon popular stereotypes about the Amish; later critical reviews were more positive.
The series was later aired in the United Kingdom on LIVINGtv2 and Trouble, in New Zealand on TV2, in Denmark on Kanal 5 and in Sweden on Kanal 5.