Spike TV and William Shatner have just completed an elaborate hoax on a small Iowa town in service to their upcoming series, the parties announced today.

Mr. Shatner and a film crew descended on the town of Riverside to purportedly shoot “Invasion Iowa,” a science-fiction feature film. Locals were hired as cast and crew for the bogus shooting, during which Mr. Shatner played an increasingly over-the-top version of himself. The team recently revealed to the townspeople the movie was a fake and they would all appear in an upcoming Spike TV series. Town officials were presented with a $100,000 city service contribution.

“This is unlike anything that’s ever been tried in the history of television,” said executive producer Rhett Reese. “It was a truly breathtaking experience.”

The show is set to debut on Spike TV in early 2005.