Parents' Guide to

The Colony

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Post-disaster survival experiment is fascinating, intense.

TV Discovery Channel Reality TV 2009
The Colony Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Rockmike33
Rockmike33 Adult
August 3, 2013
age 12+

The simulated social collapse: The Colony (TV Show)

I believe this show was the best attempt to simulate a post-apocalyptic event and tried to show what you may encounter in a similar situation. It opens people up to the possibility of how to make good use of resources (even things most would consider garbage) to make innovative ways to support a group of individuals when society collapses. It raises awareness of things you may have to experience if society was to collapse. Furth more, though made for TV (meaning that situation were sometimes scripted), it also looked at some of the psychological problem people may face. The Violence, nudity, and sex aspect of this was minimal at most. After watch this show, I feel I would have a good idea of what I would face if something like this would happen. It's also entertaining. I like the fact that there was no cash prize and no rewards for first place. It also proves that people can't survive without other people. We never could. Even people who don't have friends/family/loved ones are currently receiving help because of they way our society is currently working (they buy stuff from the store with money they have received threw work/benefits/gov. programs etc.). These same people would still need help to survive. It does a good job of showing how people act/react to desperation and how a strong community is just as essential (if not more so) as/than mere numbers. This is one of my favorite shows.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much swearing
CariT
CariT Adult
June 7, 2012
age 10+

Great show

This show is appropriate for almost all age groups. There is minor cursing but not much. It was great to have a reality show with no sexual encounters whatsoever. Some of the people in the show do provide a very positive attitude and are great role models. Kids can learn some survival skills from this but probably only older kids will truly understand. I don't like kids under 10 would be interested in this.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

What would you do -- how would you survive -- if a global epidemic left a huge portion of the population dead and civilization consequently descended into chaos? That's the premise of THE COLONY, an intense reality series about 10 people who volunteer to spend 10 weeks in an isolated part of Los Angeles, attempting to "rebuild society." The group sets up camp in an abandoned warehouse and must find food and water, figure out how to reestablish electricity, tend to sanitation and other basic needs, and defend their new home against the bandits who sometimes try to steal their valuable resources.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (1):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about survival. Would you know what to do in a survival situation? Do you know how to perform any of the tasks that would help people get by after a major disaster? Does this show make you want to study something practical, like engineering or medicine?

  • The participants are sometimes threatened by "bandits," who are introduced specifically to create tension. Do you think the participants feel like they're really in danger? Do you think they're ready to respond to the faux threat with real violence? How else does conflict manifest in the series?

TV Details

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