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Nickelodeon also makes a promise that its channel is violence-free and suitable for the entire family. It too delivers on that promise. Some of Nickelodeon's animation and children's programming have a slightly harder edge than Disney's. This is probably due to its appeal to somewhat older audiences and to an attempt to be more cutting-edge. Almost nothing we monitored on Nickelodeon raised any concerns.
Weekday prime time is filled with old network situation comedies. Most of these shows featured in Nick at Nite are from the 1960s and 1970s and never raise any violence issues. Shows such as I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi rarely feature any violent scenes. Although there is occasionally a scene of physical comedy or slapstick (particularly on Lucy), it is always appropriate within the context of the show and of no concern.
The prime time Nickelodeon show that does occasionally raise concerns is Ren and Stimpy. Containing some of the irreverent spirit of The Simpsons (it has even been featured on The Simpsons), Ren and Stimpy is full of crude and sometimes graphically violent scenes. The issue here, as with The Disney Channel, is the context of the channel as a whole, which promises a consistent level of family entertainment.
In one episode of Ren and Stimpy, there is a scene in which Stimpy brushes his teeth with a hammer, saws off his nose, cuts off his tongue and pulls out his eyes. In a later cartoon in the same show, Ren is stung in the eye by a hornet. His eye swells and a lobster cuts off the top of Ren's head. This is animated, comedic violence. It is very graphic and goes far beyond the level of Nickelodeon's other programming. It is exaggerated and designed to disgust the young viewer, but it is extremely violent and atypical of the channel.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? contains some intense images but most are appropriate within the context of this 9:30 p.m. show. A ghost, appearing like a man, is consumed in flames in a scene that is more graphic than is necessary. Overall, the series, while containing more scenes of violence than Nickelodeon's other shows, did not raise concerns about violence.
Nickelodeon's Saturday morning programming also is largely free of violence and those shows that have some violent scenes are all minor and completely acceptable within the context of the show and time period. Even an animated series, Beetlejuice, based on the popular film which contained many comic but extremely graphic scenes, raised no issues at all.
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