Indentured servitude. No baths or showers. Public punishments. Welcome to daily life in the year 1628!

Think colonial life was all about pious Pilgrims, powdered wigs and freedom for all? Think again! Two dozen modern-day time travelers find out the hard way what early American colonial life was really like when they take up residence in Colonial House, public television's latest hands-on history series from the producers of Frontier House, Manor House, and the Peabody Award-winning The 1900 House.

Our intrepid adventurers -- men, women, and children from across the U.S. and the U.K. -- arrived in their New World on a period tall ship and struggled to create a functioning and profitable colony, like those of America's first settlers, using only the tools and technology of the era. 

"Researching this era, we were surprised -- and viewers will be surprised -- at the misconceptions about our colonial roots," said Beth Hoppe, executive producer for Thirteen. "History often paints a drab picture of our forebears, but they would fit into modern day America better than one might think. From wearing bright-colored clothing and consuming large amounts of alcohol to testing the laws of the era, early colonists were a vibrant group of individuals." 

Residing in a 17th-century environment cultivated from extensive research, the colonists negotiate personal and communal challenges as they deal with the demoralizing weather, rustic living conditions and backbreaking labor. Among the points of dissension that arise in the colony are: the rigid class and gender roles, mandatory religious observance, and the puritanical civil laws of the era, particularly those pertaining to profanity.

"Not only does Colonial House capture the drama of everyday life in a small colony but it also shows how ordinary people cope -- or in many cases, don't cope -- when removed from all that is familiar and comforting to them in the modern world," said series producer Sallie Clement. "Our disparate group of colonists were catapulted into a life that demanded they set aside their many differences for the sake of survival."

Colonial House is a co-production of Thirteen/WNET New York and Wall To Wall Television in association with Channel 4 (U.K.). Executive producers are Beth Hoppe at Thirteen and Leanne Klein at Wall To Wall. Series producer is Sallie Clement. Executive in charge is William R. Grant at Thirteen.