Posted: Sun Jun 30 2002
ABC Uses 'Fiction' As Basis For New TV Series

A new series set to debut this fall on ABC will feature an unusual twist: the characters never existed.

Though most viewers are unfamiliar with the concept, 'fiction' has existed as a story element since ancient Egypt and Greece. The first know use of 'fiction' in the English language was the story Beowulf, which was written sometime in the tenth century CE.

Literature expert Diane Werner explains, "Beowulf is interesting for a number of reasons, the most notable of which is that it never actually happened: The author 'made it up'."

ABC's new series, named Small Kingdom, will use the same kind of 'fiction' to 'imagine' a sequence of events that will happen in the story. The story takes place in 1840 in rural Virginia and logs the daily life of a fictional family of four as they struggle with the problems of the times.

At a meeting to pitch the show to ABC Executives, producer Suzanne Donovan explained the concept, "In many ways, Small Kingdom is a metaphor for modern life," and after several silent minutes whispered "That means it's not real, but it's still relevant."

Many television critics have already blasted the show, saying that without real stories of real people from the real world who face real dangers and real losses the show will never make it. "Who wants to watch fake people," complains real TV watcher James Crag, "I mean really, where are the contestants?"