The Colony

Everyone involved in the show knows that it’s just an experiment, that civilization is just a few blocks away and hasn’t really been swept into anarchy. But it’s surprising how quickly the participants begin to think and act like the survivors of a global disaster who must defend their turf. When the producers send a few faux marauders to break into their compound, for instance, several members of the group pick up pipes and other makeshift weapons. The intruders, the narrator explains, have instructions not to harm anyone, but the participants certainly look ready to do anything necessary to protect their hard-won supplies.

The participants deserve credit for their innovative solutions to very real problems, such as using sand and charcoal to create a water filter that makes even the highly polluted water from the Los Angeles River drinkable. But the group -- which includes two engineers, a contractor, and a doctor -- is hardly a representative cross-section of the population. Where are the bloggers and struggling actors? People without such specialized skills might have a harder time in a survival situation ... which just might be the point of the series.