Go to previous section
Go to Table of Contents
Beginning in the 1970s, movies of the week (MOWs) and mini-series became a staple of broadcast network television. Some of the most memorable moments of the past 25 years of television came from this format. Similar in many ways to theatrical films, but specifically written and produced for television, movies of the week and mini-series began as an important forum for the discussion of society's concerns and problems. Earlier mini-series and movies, such as Roots, Holocaust, Something About Amelia, The Day After and The Burning Bed, not only captured extremely high ratings and many Emmy awards, they also sparked national discussions about slavery, the annihilation of the Jews, incest, nuclear war and spousal abuse.
Originally intended as "events" in a television world largely comprised of series, they quickly became a regular part of television programming and lost some of their luster. MOWs abandoned important and provocative themes and soon settled into a "disease of the week" format. At the same time, mini-series, intended to be television's blockbuster events, frequently seemed inflated in length and concept.
One important difference between MOWs and theatrical films is the speed with which MOWs can be brought to the television screen. While a feature film may require one to two years of production, a MOW can be conceptualized, produced and aired in a matter of months, less in some cases. Now, many MOWs specialize in bringing very recent events to the small screen. Within months of the resolution of the Amy Fisher case, three networks aired television movies on this sensationalized story. NBC authorized a television movie on the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas and it was half-way completed before anyone knew whether the followers of David Koresh would get out alive. Whatever the outcome, the television movie would air. Fox aired The O.J. Simpson Story during early days of the trial.
As discussed in the history section, MOWs and mini-series in the May 1993 sweeps period were a major source of the belief that television violence had reached new heights. Most of the concern, but not all, was focused on the fact-based television movies claiming to be "based on a true story."
During the course of the 1994-95 television season, we monitored every television movie and mini-series on the four broadcast networks. We did not rely on a sample. Every movie and mini- series was viewed in its entirety. Having completely examined all 161 MOWs and mini-series in the past television season, we make the following comments on and evaluations of this important genre.
We went back and looked at earlier MOWs and mini-series programming, including some shows from the May 1993 sweeps, and saw that there has been progress since then. This is an area over which the networks have total control, and advertiser and political pressure may have influenced them to make some changes in this area.
Of the 161 MOWs and mini-series we examined, 23 were found to deal with violent themes or issues in a way that raised concerns. These concerns include the use of violence in the themes, the use of advisories, the titles themselves, and a variety of other issues. The first part of this section will discuss some particularly relevant examples of programs that raise concerns. The second part will delineate some issues and themes which run through most of the programs that raise concerns.
Go to next section
Go to Table of Contents