Invasion Iowa
Invasion Iowa is a television series that aired on Spike TV beginning on March 29, 2005, on ITV4 beginning on 3 November 2005 and The Comedy Channel in April 2007. The series depicts events from September 2004, in which William Shatner played a hoax on the small town of Riverside, Iowa by claiming to film a science fiction movie there. Unbeknownst to the residents of Riverside, the movie was in fact fake, a satire on the genre. In front of and behind the cameras, Shatner and his purported entourage performed a living, breathing parody of Hollywood. Producers designed the various plots and gags to elicit reactions from the townspeople. Shatner played the part of the eccentric star. Improvisational actors pretended to be members of his entourage. Residents of Riverside were encouraged to audition for parts in the movie and take jobs on its crew, only to bear witness, firsthand, to an elaborate send-up of tinseltown. Producers chose Riverside because it is the self-proclaimed future birthplace of Shatner's most enduring character, Captain James T. Kirk. Invasion Iowa was created by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also created Spike TV's earlier "reality parody" series, The Joe Schmo Show, and its sequel, Joe Schmo 2.
Insights
Plot Summary
This short-lived reality series placed a group of aspiring actors in a small town, claiming they were the sole survivors of an alien invasion. The show documented their attempts to survive and fight back against the 'aliens,' all while being manipulated by the show's producers and the town's residents who were in on the elaborate hoax.
Critical Reception
Invasion Iowa received mixed to negative reviews, with critics often citing its manipulative premise and questionable ethical implications. While some found the underlying social experiment intriguing, many viewers and reviewers felt it was exploitative and lacked genuine entertainment value beyond its initial gimmick.
What Reviewers Say
- A controversial and ethically dubious premise that bordered on cruel.
- While attempting a unique social experiment, the show ultimately felt exploitative.
- Lacked sustained interest beyond the initial shock value of the hoax.
Google audience: Audience reception was largely negative, with many viewers expressing discomfort with the show's manipulation of the participants and finding it more mean-spirited than entertaining.
Fun Fact
The town of Riverside, Iowa, and its residents were all participants in the elaborate hoax, playing the roles of alien survivors and the unsuspecting populace to convince the actors of the 'invasion'.
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