Movies

Reality TV’s Fascination with the Frontier: Is Nostalgia Worth the Struggle?

BBG News

As a seasoned movie critic, I found myself immersed in history, albeit unwillingly so, during the debut of Magnolia Network’s Back to the Frontier. Stacey Loper, a woman who relishes the modern comforts of her 4.5-bathroom abode, was visibly moved to tears on her first day at an 1880s-style homestead. The hardships she faced, such as using a rickety outhouse and serving cold canned ham to her family, were more than just inconveniences – they were heartbreaking reminders of a bygone era. This reality series aims to test the mettle of three families, relocating them to vast Rocky Mountain farmlands for a summer-long experiment in living as our frontier ancestors did. The underlying premise? That enduring such hardship fosters resilience and character.

The show “Back to the Frontier,” produced by Chip and Joanna Gaines of Magnolia, airing on Thursdays and streaming on HBO Max, is one of many historical living challenge shows that became popular during the reality TV boom in the early 2000s. This particular show resembles “Frontier House” from 2002, a program that combined education with entertainment as PBS’s attempt to join the trend. Shows like “MTV’s The ’70s House,” or the BBC’s period-specific series such as “Edwardian Farm,” “Victorian Farm,” and “Victorian Pharmacy,” often promote the idea that living like our ancestors is enriching, noble, and authentic. However, it seems as though life ended with modern conveniences like refrigerators, indoor plumbing, or television. The show by Magnolia isn’t the most convincing of these programs. Even if it were, I’m not sure I would agree with its fundamentally conservative message.

Despite having the opportunity to cater to a traditionalist audience with rural and homespun values, Back to the Frontier chooses not to fully revert to a retrograde style. The show’s cast is remarkably diverse in many aspects. The Lopers are a multigenerational African-American family, with Stacey and her husband Joaquin having two sons aged 12 and 14, and accompanied by Joaquin’s mother, Shirley. Unlike the stereotypical nagging mother-in-law figure, Shirley, who has spent much of her life on a farm, appears sweet, and Stacey appreciates her assistance. Similar to Stacey, Lina, the matriarch of the Hall family, runs a business. She and her husband, Jereme, have two teenage girls and an 11-year-old boy. The surprise for the sisters is having to share a bed with their bothersome young brother. Completing the cast are Jason Hanna, Joe Riggs, and their twin 10-year-old sons, who form a two-dad family. These tech-savvy fathers soon find themselves experiencing withdrawal symptoms from their video games, smartwatches, and robot vacuums.

Despite their differences, these families share some commonalities. They all hail from the Southern region, and judging by their lifestyles, they seem to be either middle or upper-middle class. Stacey describes the Lopers’ lifestyle as extravagant, while the Hanna-Riggs miss their housekeeper, but the Halls can be seen enjoying a luxurious private pool. In the three episodes I watched, each family appears close and caring. It seems Magnolia Productions did not focus on creating conflict within the households for the show. The parents struggle to motivate their kids to work on the farm, and the only significant tension that arises early in the season is between Jereme, who values his independence, and the Lopers, who are more community-oriented. (The harmonious Hall daughters find their father’s prickliness embarrassing, which reaches a peak during a ludicrous bidding war at a mock livestock auction.)

Despite the contrived nature of its production, Frontier House offered an abundance of little-known details about early pioneer life. Viewers were given insightful lessons on various topics, such as 19th century family planning and how women in the frontier managed menstruation. Back to the Frontier features experts like historian Dr. Jacob K. Friefeld and homesteading influencer Melissa K. Norris who share helpful tidbits of information. However, the show falls short compared to its predecessor as it isn’t as open-minded or curious in its approach. It is worth noting that the show seems cautious about discussing reproductive health issues, particularly birth control and women’s bodies, possibly due to a post-Roe V. Wade unease. While Magnolia may not explicitly court the traditionalist community, it has certainly made efforts to keep them satisfied in its programming.

Revisiting the Frontier brings history to life as modern adaptability and open-mindedness tackle challenges faced by pioneers. While mothers in the group often worry about women’s restricted independence during this period, we notice Jason and Joe frequently negotiating tasks based on their abilities rather than traditional roles. However, the show primarily concentrates on accurately recreating the past. On occasion, a folksy-toned narrator named William Hope reminds us that even young boys like the Hanna-Riggs would work from dawn till dusk on the farm; that men were responsible for construction, agriculture, and defense; that a mother who hadn’t prepared a meal by suppertime on her temperamental cast-iron stove was considered a failure. Each obstacle encountered is portrayed as a test of whether participants could survive in what appears to be a tougher yet somehow more genuine, rewarding, and – in an assumption about labor division that borders on essentialism – more natural environment.

In simpler terms, a show can easily present this scenario because it often takes its characters not only back in time but also down the social ladder. Characters like the Halls, Lopers, and Hanna-Riggs, if they were around in the 1880s, would likely have been merchants, professionals, or even wealthy farmers who owned land and had workers. They wouldn’t have needed to embark on the challenging journey west to claim free land as promised by the Homestead Act of 1862 because they could afford better living conditions, possibly with indoor plumbing. This leads one to wonder if the contemporary pioneers’ contemporaries – lawyers or shopkeepers – would have felt just as discontented on the homestead. Looking at it another way, a person today struggling financially in the U.S., due to rising costs, stagnant wages, and disappearing manufacturing jobs, might find appeal in the opportunity to become a self-sufficient farmer with land they could eventually own.

Essentially, what I’m trying to convey is this: Just because it may seem easier to be wealthy today compared to the past, I don’t necessarily believe that people from previous eras lived lives that were inherently harder and therefore more virtuous than ours. The challenges we face are simply different. Progress, which includes advancements in technology, can sometimes be a double-edged sword – it brings benefits as well as drawbacks. For instance, while the 19th century saw the development of cures for once-deadly diseases, it also paved the way for modern pandemics. Similarly, while workers in the past may have toiled on the farm, they didn’t have to worry about climate catastrophes looming over their lifetimes as we do today.

Historical reality shows often give the impression of a simpler, more authentic past by downplaying social stratification and portraying modern life as effortless. This suggests that engaging in traditional jobs and adhering to conventional gender roles makes us better individuals. For instance, while watching Back to the Frontier, I realized that the specific duties assigned to each character based on their age or sex were less important. What truly mattered was how much they had to push themselves, both as individuals and families, in order to accomplish these tasks. It’s the expanded understanding that arises from participating in experiences vastly different from our own that truly shapes character. If Laura Ingalls Wilder’s family from Little House on the Prairie were suddenly transported to New York City in 2025, living in a studio apartment, relying on an iPhone, and having limited funds, their resilience could be just as enlightening.

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2025-07-10 17:06

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