I recently read an article on "Cinemaholic" by Sayak Basu. Great article. I really liked the part where it said that reality TV fans, will get an entirely new experience. Its true, you get a family working together as a 'crew, that comes from the same world as you and I, but they are making a go of it and its them innovating and problem solving their way through what mother nature throws at them. I am invested in the personalities and the stories now. The Llama, Comma the horse, the goats, the chickens, and the pizza oven, the firetruck, and the Great Wall of Bales (straw & hay). Firefly only lasted 1 season,...turned out to be wildly popular and a cult classic, and became a feature length movie. Maybe the Hines clan isn't ready for the silver screen, but in a sea of formulaic "reality shows" that reek of being artificial, scripted, and edited,...Raising Wild has a genuine quality that is missing from most shows, these days, and as rare as hen's teeth. I want this series to run for several seasons.
There's something about this family, that you identify with, and your gut doesn't give you the impression, that there are a dozen production crew members just off camera, ready to touch up make-up, re-stage a scene, or go over the script one more time. The audience can identify with members of the Hines family. I think that's missing from many shows out there. Other 'reality shows' feel scripted. The characters simply materialize out of the mists, and the audience is expected to assume a lot about them Then it is somehow a herculean feat for them to make a sharp stick or 'survive' for 21 days. No one can relate to that. The Hines' endeavor to Homestead and go from the suburban landscape of Texas to the hinterland of Washington is the big, but its just the setting. Holding a family together, making sure everyone is clothed, fed, and pulling their weight in the face of limited resources,...THAT is what people can relate to. You could be single and living paycheck-to-paycheck, or a family of six dealing with the logistics of swim lessons, soccer practice, school, work, life, etc, but its what families deal with. You see that watching Raising Wild.
Its good, clean, and enjoyable to watch, and if you are not careful, you just might learn something.