This is one in an ongoing series of Media Life previews of new programs.
Name of show
“Farmer Wants a Wife”
Timeslot
CW, Wednesday 9 p.m.
Plot synopsis
In the vein of “The Bachelor,” “Farmer Wants a Wife” has 10 women competing for the hand of one man through a series of dates, challenges and bouts of cattiness.
But as the name tells us the twist here is that the object of these ladies’ affection is a 30-year-old Missouri farmer, Matt Neustadt, whose family has farmed along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers for five decades.
To add a further comedic element, the CW hasn't rounded up a bevy of farm girls looking for Mr. Right but rather 10 city women fed up with city men. While the women compete for farmer Matt’s attention, they also deal with some culture shock as they try their hand at quilting, tractor driving, caring for large animals and attending bingo nights.
“Farmer Wants a Wife” comes from FremantleMedia North America and is executive produced by Adam Cohen, Cara Tapper and Joanna Vernetti. It’s based on a hit European TV show and was originally envisioned as strike filler.
Outlook
“Farmer Wants a Wife” relies on the same fish-out-of-water device as the CW’s fading hit “Beauty and the Geek,” which should generate some initial interest. And it has the most attractive timeslot on CW’s schedule, leading out of the network’s reality hit “America’s Next Top Model.”
But the competition it will face in the 9 p.m. timeslot, along with that giggle-inducing title, could make it tough for the show to draw viewers.
The show’s biggest challenge will be finding a way to tear young viewers away from Fox’s “American Idol” results show at 9 p.m. That show's ratings have slipped this year but it still dominates the timeslot.
And “Farmer” also faces relatively tough competition from CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” and ABC’s “Supernanny," even if they don’t share the same target audience. All pull decent numbers against “Idol.”
“Farmer” is also getting brutal treatment from critics, who have dismissed it as forced and trite. Also not working in its favor is that the CW delayed its premiere, never a good sign.
The buzz
Media people acknowledge the Wednesday 9 p.m. slot is a tough one, pitting "Farmer" directly against “Idol,” but they are not counting it out, at least on those grounds.
“Truth be told, you don’t really need to watch all of ‘Idol’ to see who won,” says Shari Anne Brill, senior vice president and director of programming at Carat USA. “A lot of it is filler.”
Also, tonight's debut ought to get a break from "Idol's" choice of a musical guest for this week, Neil Diamond, a performer whom Brill notes clearly appeals to a far older audience that what the CW seeking.
“I don’t think Neil Diamond is relatable to anyone besides aging baby boomers, so it does have an opportunity,” she says. “And ‘Top Model’ has a built-in following, so people may stick around.”
And while noting the network delayed airing the show, she says it has several things going for it, led by the good looks of the farmer. There's also the culture clash element.
What critics are saying
“Based on reality TV precedent, some young women will be on the edge of their seats when elimination time rolls around, but watching Matt put potential mates through the process -- an actual chicken-and-egg proposition -- all I could think about was that when TV gives you a show this hackneyed, make an omelet.” – Brian Lowry, Variety
“Certainly, no one expects dating shows to lead to true love anymore. The only people who seemed to ever believe that were the vehement, rejected stripper from season one of ‘Rock of Love’ and ‘The Bachelorette’s’ Trista and Ryan Sutter, who have gone so genuine as to get married and procreate. But one should expect a more intriguing passel of women competing for affection than this group, which includes the obligatory sweet virgins, the rich spoiled girls, and, naturally, an aspiring actress playing the villain.” – Gillian Flynn, Entertainment Weekly
“At the end of the first episode, the elimination involves an eggless chicken. Next week, the girl who doesn’t get BINGO will be sent packing. It all makes the rose ceremony over on ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ look infinitely classier.” – Misha Davenport, Chicago Sun-Times
