''Amish in the City'' is an American
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series which premiered on
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
on July 28, 2004. The plot revolved around five
Amish
The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...
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
Rumspringa (), also spelled ''Rumschpringe'' or ''Rumshpringa'', is a rite of passage during adolescent, adolescence, translated from originally Palatine German language, Palatine German and other Southwest German dialects to English as "jumpi ...
'' ("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
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
on
LIVINGtv2 and
Trouble
Trouble may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin
* ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film
* ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Trouble'' ...
, in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
on
TV2, in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
on
Kanal 5 and in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
on
Kanal 5.
Cast
References
External links
*
* - 2006 New Line TV site including video & cast bio updates
Amish In The City Season Finale- article about series finale, including its date
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amish In The City
2004 American television series debuts
2004 American television series endings
2000s American reality television series
Amish in popular culture
Anti-Amish sentiment
UPN original programming
English-language television shows
Television shows set in Los Angeles
Television series by New Line Television