The New People
Encyclopedia
The New People was a short-lived 1969 American
television series on ABC
that focused on a group of young college students who were returning from a trip in Southeast Asia
when their plane crashed on an island in the south Pacific Ocean. The crash killed several of the college students, and all but one of the adults, who was badly injured and later died. The surviving students were the only human life remaining on the island. The island was unusual in that it had been built up as a site for a potential above-ground nuclear test which never took place, leaving all of the buildings and (improbably) supplies untouched and ready for use by the survivors.
The New People reflected the youth-oriented, counterculture of the 1960s
. All people over 30 were now dead, and it was up to the young people to start a new society on the island. The pilot episode was written by Rod Serling
.
This program is an extremely rare example of a regularly scheduled network television series with 45-minute long episodes; it aired immediately after The Music Scene, another 45-minute program.
's 1954 novel
and subsequent film Lord of the Flies
.
In 2004 ABC premiered the hit Lost
which also featured a group of plane crash survivors stranded on a strange island. In October 2005, NBC
began broadcasting a Saturday morning series with a similar premise, Flight 29 Down
. In 2007, CBS
broadcast a reality show called Kid Nation
in which 40 children, aged 8 to 15, are left alone in an abandoned mining town try to create a functioning society, including setting up a government system with minimal adult help and supervision.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
that focused on a group of young college students who were returning from a trip in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
when their plane crashed on an island in the south Pacific Ocean. The crash killed several of the college students, and all but one of the adults, who was badly injured and later died. The surviving students were the only human life remaining on the island. The island was unusual in that it had been built up as a site for a potential above-ground nuclear test which never took place, leaving all of the buildings and (improbably) supplies untouched and ready for use by the survivors.
The New People reflected the youth-oriented, counterculture of the 1960s
Counterculture of the 1960s
The counterculture of the 1960s refers to a cultural movement that mainly developed in the United States and spread throughout much of the western world between 1960 and 1973. The movement gained momentum during the U.S. government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam...
. All people over 30 were now dead, and it was up to the young people to start a new society on the island. The pilot episode was written by Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
.
This program is an extremely rare example of a regularly scheduled network television series with 45-minute long episodes; it aired immediately after The Music Scene, another 45-minute program.
Similar programs
The concept of having all the adults killed off leaving only the young people to survive was not a new one, nor was this to be its last appearance. This concept was also used in William GoldingWilliam Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
's 1954 novel
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results...
and subsequent film Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies (1963 film)
Lord of the Flies is a 1963 film adaptation of William Golding's novel of the same name. It was directed by Peter Brook and produced by Lewis M. Allen, known since for producing films based on modern-classic novels. The film was in production for much of 1961 though the film was not released until...
.
In 2004 ABC premiered the hit Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
which also featured a group of plane crash survivors stranded on a strange island. In October 2005, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
began broadcasting a Saturday morning series with a similar premise, Flight 29 Down
Flight 29 Down
Flight 29 Down is a television series about a group of teenagers who are stranded on an island. It was produced by Discovery Kids. The show was created by Stan Rogow and D. J. MacHale . The executive producers are Rogow, MacHale, Shauna Shapiro Jackson, and Gina & Rann Watumull...
. In 2007, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
broadcast a reality show called Kid Nation
Kid Nation
Kid Nation is an American reality television show hosted by Jonathan Karsh that premiered on the CBS network on September 19, 2007 created by Tom Forman Productions and Endemol USA and aired on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET...
in which 40 children, aged 8 to 15, are left alone in an abandoned mining town try to create a functioning society, including setting up a government system with minimal adult help and supervision.
External links
- TV Obscurities web site contains more information on this series as well as other unusual shows.