After the show's premiere, many television critics wrote negative reviews, with "Los Angeles Times" critic Robert Lloyd a notable exception. Reviewing the first episode, "Washington Post" columnist Tom Shales suggested that the show is "not so much an exercise in socialization as the indoctrination of children into a consumer culture". Shales pointed out that the kids' decisions included buying root beer at the saloon with "real money", but not hiring or being hired—as their money was "parceled out to them according to their predetermined stations in life."