ArchivesAmish in the City producer says controversy over the series was surprising.
Amish in the City producer Jon Kroll talks to Salon’s Heather Havrilesky, and says he was surprised by the controversy that erupted over the series.
Why? “Because the thought of doing a show that was disrespectful to the Amish—I know this sounds strange, but it had not even occurred to us. We had always intended to do something that would be respectful.” He says that “there was great potential” for exploitation of the Amish participants, but says they ” were incredibly diligent about having long conversations with them about what the show was, what we intended to do, what the reaction could be from their communities and from the public after it was all over. We really tried to educate them as well as we could.”
He also explains how this show and others are valuable: “One of the mantras I like to preach, as silly as it may sound, is that reality shows at their best can be documentaries for the masses. They can be something that presents real-life situations in a way that they’re entertaining enough to draw a big audience.”
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