So, there's this extended family of strong personalities — photogenic, outgoing, all living under one roof. A camera follows their daily lives: what they eat, their sexual liaisons, power struggles, jealousies and sacrifices for one another. But the hook — for those who want more reality in their soap operas — is that these family members are meerkats living in the Kalahari Desert.

The Whiskers, stars of Animal Planet's unscripted "Meerkat Manor," airing Episode 6 of its first 13 tonight, must learn how to eat scorpions, battle rival clans and obey the iron rule of a female leader. The winners get to survive.

For a documentary, "Meer-kat Manor" is unusually anthropomorphized, dispensing with the familiar "voice of God" narration that accompanies most such shows in favor of characterization, story arcs and close-up reaction shots. As in any soap or reality show, the characters are presented to engage viewers' emotions: Will Shakespeare survive the poisonous snake bite? Will Flower evict Mozart from the family for good?

So far, the series has "all the makings of a hit," at least by the cable network's standards, said Maureen Smith, Animal Planet's executive vice president and general manager. The premiere drew more than a million viewers, and more in subsequent episodes. "Even more interesting, it was the adults that were driving the increases," she said. Though not intended, many viewers said they related to the power struggles in the family, producers said.

Working in conjunction with Oxford Scientific Films, the network has planned a second season and is negotiating for a feature film, Smith said.