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A portion of Stamford will be seen on national television on Friday, when the season premiere of the ABC program "Primetime: What Would You Do?" is broadcast at 9 p.m.
The show stages dilemmas in public and, as hidden cameras roll, find out whether strangers will intervene as a matter of conscience. It shot a segment in Stamford last month focusing on a veteran who is harshly ridiculed by anti-war protestors.
The dissidents, who convened in the area of Bedford and Forest streets, carried signs saying "Peace Does Not Start with War" and "Bring Our Troops Home." As the veteran passed, they began to verbally attack him.
"You killed innocent people in Vietnam and now you want to kill more!" shouted one protestor.
"Are you a veteran?" blasted another. "How can you support this war?"
The seemingly authentic scene was scripted, and the veteran and protestors were actors. But passersby didn't know that. The point of the show is to find out whether anyone would stand up for the bullied and outnumbered veteran.
"We test people walking down the sidewalk, their tolerance of something that seems wrong," anchor John Quinones said last month during a break in taping. He said the show attempts "to shine a light on issues that happen all the time."
Co-executive producer Chris Whipple said he's received positive feedback about the program. "We love the fact that families sit down and watch the show together," he said.
The award-winning show has ranked No. 1 in its time slot among the broadcast networks for viewers ages 18 to 49 and ages 25 to 54 during its summer run, according to ABC.
The Stamford segment is among four featured in Friday's program.
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