Made for Television Movies and Mini-Series
Theatrical Motion Pictures on Broadcast Network Television
On Air Promotions, Previews, Recaps, Teasers, and Advertisements
Emerging Broadcast Networks (UPN, WB)
Although other television media are sampled, broadcast network programming is the primary focus of this study. Broadcast network television still accounts for a majority of what is watched on television. The other aspects of the television world--cable, syndication, home video and video games--have been sampled for the purpose of comparison.
Network television has been divided into six areas, each of which was thoroughly examined:
For our analysis, last year's monitoring of the 1994-95 television season now becomes the baseline for this and subsequent television violence monitoring reports. Last year was the first time we compiled data on the nature and extent of television violence. The quantitative and qualitative information from last year's report can be compared to that collected this year. This allows us to make some very important and specific comparisons to evaluate how the broadcast networks are dealing with the violence issue.
Series still make up the majority of the networks' programming. They are what most distinguish network television from cable and other video media. More people watch television series than any other format. Series such as Roseanne, Married with Children, Murphy Brown and Seinfeld have continued to attract large numbers of viewers weekly for many years.
As described in the methodology section, every prime time series in the 1995-96 season was monitored at least four times to determine whether it raised issues of concern with regard to violence. Shows that raised issues continued to be monitored, frequently through the entire season, while shows that aired less than four times were monitored each time they aired. Overall 114 television shows on the four networks were monitored in this way, and a complete listing of each show and the number of times it was examined can be found in the appendix to this report. Another 20 series from UPN and WB were monitored in the same way, and the results can also be found in the following section.
Of the television series we examined, there are five that raise frequent concerns about the manner in which they deal with violence. This compares to nine from last season. These five television series deal with violence in a variety of different ways. The efforts of the networks' practices and standards departments have contributed to what we see as positive signs in television series. This report makes a real effort to understand each show, its goals and style and the manner in which it deals with violence. Of particular importance is understanding the context in which violence occurs in each of the shows. Shows cannot be adequately compared without explaining the specific nature, style and content of each show. These elements comprise the context of each show in which the violent acts occur. The violence cannot be adequately understood or evaluated apart from these elements.
Television movies this year also demonstrate some improvement over the 1994-95 television season. We monitored every television movie that aired during both seasons. While 23 out of 161 television movies, or 14%, raised concerns last season, this year the number raising concerns drops to 10%, or 20 out of 198. Movies that raised concerns usually did so because of a variety of factors, such as lack of advisory, violent theme, violent title or inappropriate graphicness of a scene. Unlike with theatrical films, the networks have complete control over television movies. They decide what movies get made and what the audience will see. Though there are still some television movies that raise concerns, it is clear that some improvements have been made in this area.
Theatrical films on television were identified last year as the most problematic type of programming. This season this area of television has witnessed improvement. We monitored every theatrical film on television that aired during both seasons. Of the 118 theatrical films monitored last year, 50, or 42%, raised concerns about their use of violence. This year the percentage drops significantly to 29%, as 33 of 113 theatrical films raised concerns. Theatrical films are made for a different medium and have to be retrofitted for the world of broadcast television. This is a difficult, and frequently impossible, task. As a result, we expected to see little progress this season. While there were still a number of films that contained over 40 scenes of violence, there were fewer of them than last season. In several instances the broadcast networks did not re-run theatrical films they purchased because of the quantity or nature of the violence. There are still a number of problems such as lack of advisories and inappropriate time periods. While the percentage of theatrical films raising concerns about violence has decreased this season, those theatricals that remain still feature the most intense and disturbing violence on television.
On-air promotions, more than any other type of television programming, demonstrated the most improvement over the 1994-95 television season. This is where we expected to see the largest improvement and, in fact, our expectations were realized. Networks were able to create new policies and hire new personnel to deal directly with this important issue. This year there were relatively few on-air promotions featuring only scenes of violence from a television series. Theatrical films shown on television still managed to yield promos full of action, but they contained fewer scenes of violence and were almost never shown during programs or in time periods that would draw a large audience of children. This season problems in regard to promos were only found in the area of advertisements for theatrical films about to open in theaters.
Children's television showed some improvement as well. The number of Saturday morning programs on the four broadcast networks featuring "sinister combat violence" dropped from seven to four. Fewer shows used intense violence or combat as part of their overall theme. Many shows are not vehicles for combat or fighting, and whatever "violence" is used is very minor. A larger number of shows this season appealed to kids' imaginations rather than catering to a demand for action. Still, there were four shows that featured sinister combat violence, involving combat as the theme and promising confrontation.
1. Comparison of This Season's Shows with Last Season's Shows
Last season nine programs on the four broadcast networks were found to raise frequent concerns about how they depicted violence while this season the total drops to five. Of the nine programs raising concerns last year, six ran for the entire season and three ran less than ten times. Of this season's five shows with frequent issues, three aired during the entire season and two were broadcast fewer than ten times.
Seven shows from last season raised occasional concerns about violence and five of these ran all season. This year there were eight shows and six of them aired during the entire year.
a. Last Season's Shows Raising Frequent Concerns About Violence
Last year's report indicated that the following shows raised frequent concerns about issues of violence:
Three of these shows, Mantis, Fortune Hunter and VR-5, were canceled and one, Tales From the Crypt, aired only once this season. Only one show from last season, Walker, Texas Ranger, continued to raise frequent concerns this season and will be discussed shortly.
Two of the shows that raised frequent concerns, America's Funniest Home Videos and Due South, moved down to the list of shows raising only occasional concerns this year and will be discussed in that section. Two of the shows raising frequent concerns last year did not raise any concerns (frequent or occasional) this year. Those two shows are:
Lois & Clark (ABC)
In last year's report it was noted that Lois & Clark was originally intended as a romantic comedy/drama with much witty dialogue and flirting between Lois and Clark. In its second season last year the plots often took a darker turn with an often threatening tone. In its third season Lois & Clark seems to have returned to its romantic and comedic roots and raised no issues of concern during the season. The decreased amount of violence seems to have had no effect on the show's popularity as its ratings increased slightly this season.
The X-Files (Fox)
Last season this was one of the most difficult shows to monitor. Often the show was exemplary in how it created the mood and tension of violence and conflict without actually resorting to depictions of violence. The X-Files used music, lighting and quick edits to simulate violence and often offered a textbook example of how to create unease and suspense without using excessive violence. Many times last season, however, the show did cross the line and raise concerns about its use of violence. This season the show seems to have found a more effective way to portray conflict without the use of violence. Though the images are often disturbing and stressful, they are accomplished through special effects, lighting and music rather than actual acts of violence. Monitored 24 times, this season the show only raised concerns once, while improving its ratings substantially.
Violence is a crucial aspect of The X-Files. It is present in every episode we have ever monitored. This is not surprising in light of the fact that the premise of the show revolves around the investigations of violent phenomena. While this opens up the potential for the show to raise contextual concerns due to its heavy reliance on violence, the tone with which the violence is treated, the ways in which it is shown and the role it plays in terms of the story all contribute to make it non-problematic.
Although gruesome forms of violence are typically used to create an ever-present sense of foreboding and danger, actual depictions of violent acts are infrequent. Instead, the program prefers to use graphic images that are the result of violence, clever lighting schemes and ominous music to unsettle audiences and make them squirm in their seats. These creative methods have the commendable effect of implying violence without depicting actual violent acts. An example of this can be found in the episode shown on 11/3/95, in which a man who preys upon lonely, overweight women attacks a woman in her car. Just as this violent encounter begins, the camera cuts to the exterior of the car. The rest of the scene consists of the image of the rocking car and sound effects that let viewers know what is going on without actually showing the gruesome attack.
When a violent act is shown, it always furthers the plot and is invariably portrayed in a realistic manner that shows no more, and is no longer, than is necessary. Also to be noted is that violence in The X-Files is always shown with both physical and psychological consequences. An excellent example of this can be found in an episode that aired on 2/23/96 in which a police officer, under the psychic control of a murderer, pours gasoline on and ignites himself. Had the intense scene been treated differently, it could have raised serious concerns. After the fire is extinguished, the man is shown extremely burned, convulsing on the ground. It is very graphic. However, it is graphic only in establishing how awful the act of violence and its consequences are. The entire ordeal is taken very seriously and is not glamorized or glorified in any way. All parties involved demonstrate extreme distress at what has occurred and the physical consequences are explored and portrayed realistically.
Violence in The X-Files is always portrayed as an evil that must be stopped. The show successfully achieves a perilous tone without relying on the depiction of violent acts, instead favoring innovative cinematic techniques and the use of graphic images to achieve this end. Although the show frequently revolves around gruesome acts of violence, these acts are almost never shown. When a violent act is shown on-screen, it is always well edited and is no longer than is necessary. However, because of the nature and effect of the disturbing subject matter, the program would benefit from an advisory warning audiences that the following program may be too intense for younger audiences. Otherwise, the program is extremely responsible in its portrayal and treatment of violent content.
b. Last Season's Shows Raising Occasional Concerns About Violence
Last year's report indicated that there were seven television series that raised occasional concerns about how they portrayed violence:
None of these shows moved from the occasional to the frequent list. Of the seven, one, Earth2, was canceled. Two of the series, The Simpsons and SeaQuest, continued to raise occasional issues and will be discussed shortly. Four of the series dropped off the list of shows raising occasional concerns. They are:
America's Most Wanted (Fox)
In its quest to engage the audience to help capture criminals, America's Most Wanted last season occasionally resorted to excessively graphic and disturbing re-creations of crimes. This season the show demonstrated notable improvement in regard to its use of violence and yet it still successfully elicited audience reaction contributing to the capture of criminals (over 425 throughout the life of the show). It managed to do so while raising no concerns about the manner in which the violent criminal acts were depicted.
The Marshal (ABC)
Last season The Marshal raised occasional concerns about the way in which it portrayed violence. Although the show aired sporadically this season, it raised absolutely no issues of concern and was even commendable in how it resolved some of the action stories without violence.
Rescue 911 (CBS)
Using re-creations to teach audiences how to respond in emergency situations, this show last year occasionally resorted to overly long or graphic images. The show ran on an irregular basis this season and raised no concerns.
Unsolved Mysteries (NBC)
Unsolved Mysteries is another show using re-creations. Last year it occasionally used very graphic images or repeated the same scene of violence several times (sometimes just before commercials as a hook) within the same show. This season it raised no concerns.
These are the television series that raise the most concerns about the way in which they portray violence. It is important to recognize that they are presented in no particular order. These are the shows that raise more concerns because of a large variety of contextual issues, which were discussed in the criteria section.
New York Undercover (Fox)
Although many of the scenes of violence in this show last year were intense, occasionally graphic and came close to raising concerns, they were an essential part of this urban drama. Ultimately the show, aired in Fox's latest time slot of 9:00 p.m., did not raise concerns. This season yielded substantially different results.
This year the level, tone and character of the violence were considerably heightened and the show did raise frequent concerns about how it portrayed violence. Its use of music during scenes of violence added considerably to the concerns.
New York Undercover focuses on the work and personal lives of two undercover detectives, Eddie Torres and J.C. Williams. With the support of a female detective, Nina, who is also Torres' girlfriend, the detectives use their ethnicity and knowledge of the streets to help deal with their cases and the criminals they encounter. More than any other television series, music is an integral part of the show and the lyrics of the music frequently add to the context of the story and its underlying message. Set to hip hop, rap and R&B music, the show captures the pulse of urban America in a way that is not stereotypical or condescending. It is well written and acted and often deals with issues or controversial subject matter in an intelligent and thoughtful way.
A good deal of violence occurs in this show as would be expected in an urban police drama set in New York City. That violence is part of the story is not the concern. It is the manner in which the violence is shown and the way it is often glorified that raise frequent concerns. One technique is used throughout almost every episode. Most episodes open with a sequence that more closely resembles a music video than a scene in a television series. A montage of clips illustrates a violent crime, the resolution of which becomes the focus of the particular episode. Popular hip hop, rap or R&B music always blares during the montage, drowning out all sounds but those of the violence, be they gunfire, punching or groans of pain. There is no dialogue in these scenes but the song lyrics sometimes correspond to the events on the screen. While this technique can sometimes be used to make the violence more dramatic and affecting, stirring up emotions such as shock or horror, it more often has precisely the opposite effect.
The style and message of the music, the lack of any real dialogue and most of the sound effects serve to defuse the real horror of the scene and sometimes even serve to glorify the violence or make it seem worse. Though the producers may claim that this technique is artistic and accentuates the violence, rarely does it do more than make the scene appear unrealistic without genuine emotion or consequences. Rather than feeling disgust or outrage at the horrible violence on screen, audiences are more likely to find themselves engaged by the familiar music, tapping their toes and bobbing their heads to the pulsating beat. In this way the music trivializes or, in a few cases, glorifies the violence in the program.
One of the best examples of this use of music occurred on 11/16/95. With James Brown's catchy Poppa Don't Take No Mess playing loudly over the scene, guest star Ice-T walks over to a man sitting in a car, who is later revealed to be a drug dealer, and shoots him at close range. Then he reaches into the car and cuts off the man's finger with a pair of hedge clippers. It was one of the most graphic images on all of television during the season. The camera lingers on the bloodied, maimed hand. All of this occurs without screams or dialogue with only the upbeat music in the background. All of these cinematic techniques serve to minimize the violence in the scene.
Another example was found on 2/15/96 when a pregnant jogger in a park is shot in the head and robbed while upbeat R&B/hip hop music plays. Once again the audience hears only the music. The rest of the program deals intelligently and responsibly with the crime that has been committed. Although the show explores the issue of the persecution of young black men by the police, viewers are more likely to remember and focus on the opening scene since it is so prominent and glorified compared with the rest of the episode.
As an earlier section of the report suggests, music can be an essential ingredient in either mitigating or aggravating the portrayed use of violence. New York Undercover is one of the few shows on television to feature popular music with recognizable lyrics. This may be an important part of the show's appeal to the audience. Although music can warn us of imminent violence or even lessen the need to show graphic portrayals, in New York Undercover the pulse and tone of the music and vocals, in addition to the muting of all but the violent sounds, serve to glorify scenes of horrific violence.
Occasionally certain questionable behaviors and tactics are glorified, even when used by the show's protagonists. Moreover, sometimes these acts are even rewarded. On 2/1/96, while investigating a series of arsons, detectives Torres and Williams tie up a corrupt construction contractor, dowse him with lighter fluid and threaten to set him on fire if he does not reveal the information they need. Fearing for his life, the contractor talks and the detectives get what they want without expressing remorse or receiving any punishment for their unethical and illegal behavior.
As an urban drama airing at 9:00 p.m., New York Undercover deserves some latitude in telling stories about the gritty underbelly of New York life. Last year that latitude was given and the show, although it did contain violence, did not raise concerns. This season the level of violence escalated and became more intense and ugly. Because of the glorification of violence and the use of music that frequently accentuated the violence, New York Undercover raised concerns ten of the 26 times it was monitored.
Walker, Texas Ranger (CBS)
The only series to raise frequent concerns both this year and last, Walker, Texas Ranger became a big hit for CBS this season. With the popular Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Touched by an Angel as surprisingly effective lead-ins, Walker serves as an action showcase for Chuck Norris' martial arts skills. Though the producers would correctly argue that Norris adheres to a strong moral code in each episode and exercises his considerable combat skills only against deserving villains, each show is filled with many overly long scenes of intense violence.
The signature of the show is the promise of many long fight scenes in which Walker uses any physical means necessary to subdue his adversary. The typical Walker features six to 12 scenes of violence, many of which contain much hand-to-hand combat. One episode (1/13/96) was so violent that CBS issued an advisory twice during the program. This episode contained 12 scenes of violence and featured terrorists using many explosives, guns and other deadly weapons. The level and type of violence in some episodes of Walker exceeded what was found last season. Guns and other devices more lethal than Walker's fists are more evident this year. An episode on 3/9/96 portrayed a samurai sword fight in which Walker's opponent is slashed three times. After breaking for a commercial, the fight continues, finally ending when Walker kicks his foe off a suspended platform, impaling him on a spike below.
Although Walker is never one to shy away from a fight, he usually reserves punishment for deserving criminals who are about to elude his grasp. In an episode on 11/18/95 Walker comes upon a mob of thugs beating up a mentally disabled man behind a jail. Instead of arresting them, Walker takes on the mob in a graphic fist fight and wins. Then, the punishment meted out physically, Walker lets the attackers go rather than arresting them and allowing the legal system to run its course.
Another Walker that strayed from the norm was a 10/14/95 episode which featured more scenes of violence than any other this season. The program, with over 20 scenes of violence, became one in which the entire context of the program was violence and action.
Obviously, the Walker character is highly popular as audiences come to expect him to defend justice by doling out his own form of violent punishment. In many ways, Walker is a character similar to those played by Clint Eastwood or John Wayne. A frequent contextual problem is that the plot mainly serves to string together many scenes of violence portrayed heroically. A more common problem is the standard presence of glorified and prolonged scenes of hand-to-hand combat. Walker, Texas Ranger raised concerns 23 of the 27 times it was examined.
Kindred, the Embraced (Fox)
A mid-season replacement, Kindred, the Embraced came on the air in April. In keeping with the motif of "vampire chic" inspired by such works as Bram Stoker's Dracula and Interview with the Vampire, the program is extremely dark and sensualized. It tells the story of warring clans of vampires, some good, some evil, living in secret among the people of San Francisco, and of the cop (played by C. Thomas Howell) who has sworn to destroy them.
In light of the subject matter, it is not surprising that the show features a high level of violence. However, what is most disturbing is the high intensity and exceedingly macabre nature of the violence. In the 90-minute series debut airing at 8:00 p.m. on 4/2/96, the opening scene features three men, who later are discovered to be vampires, engaged in a violent battle on the rooftop of a building. After several heavy blows are exchanged, the scene culminates with two of the vampires overwhelming the third, pinning him down and plunging a television antenna into his chest. As the police arrive, the killers leap off the building and their victim bursts into flames. The same episode later shows a coroner, under the psychic control of a vampire, slicing open his own wrist with a scalpel as the vampire presses his fanged mouth to the gushing wound.
Other episodes such as the ones on 4/24/96 and 5/1/96 feature more grisly and unsettling violence such as beheadings and more severed wrists. A particularly troubling aspect of the violence in the show is the glorification of the vampires. Portrayed as lushly desirable and intriguing, these extremely violent characters are the most appealing aspect of the program. Both good and evil vampires find themselves embroiled in violent conflict in every episode, usually with each other. Of the seven episodes monitored, Kindred, the Embraced raised concerns five times.
Space: Above and Beyond (Fox)
This show--more than any other this season--raised the issue of "tonnage" or a constant barrage of violence. Though the violence is rarely as graphic or intense as what is found in Walker or Kindred, each episode is filled with non-stop fighting and conflict. Episodes of Space: Above and Beyond frequently contain over 15 separate scenes of violence. The show becomes one in which the entire context of the program is violence and action.
Space: Above and Beyond is a high-budget, science fiction, adventure drama set in the year 2063 after Earth has been attacked by a hostile alien race. The story is based on the experiences of a platoon of five rookie space Marines who are called into active duty to fight the aliens' onslaught. With the combination of excellent special effects, the science fiction theme, the young attractive cast and a Sunday at 7:00 p.m. time slot, the show is likely to attract a young audience, including children. In light of this fact, the program seems very much out of place. The story lines are complex and explore the darker side of human nature. There are extended scenes of very intense violence. As many as 19 scenes of violence were found in one 60-minute episode.
While some of these scenes are impersonal dogfights between spaceships, many are intense scenes of hand-to-hand combat. In an episode that aired on 1/7/96, a malfunctioning cyborg jams the palm of his hand into the face of a doctor knocking him to the ground. The cyborg then kicks the fallen doctor in the face and plunges a knife into his body five times. It is a disturbingly violent and graphic scene for any time and particularly for 7:00 p.m. on a Sunday evening.
The length of many of the combat scenes is far longer than required by the story. An episode on 2/18/96 highlights a battle scene that lasts for the entire last half of the program. Thematically this program is about violence, conflict and action. The context of the story contains little else. The time slot, one in which the other three networks carry children's or news programming, seems particularly ill-suited for Space: Above and Beyond. Of the 21 times it was examined, it raised concerns 12 times.
Nash Bridges (CBS)
Another mid-season replacement, Nash Bridges features Miami Vice's Don Johnson as the title character. Bridges is a streetwise San Francisco police inspector with two ex-wives and a rebellious teenage daughter. Nash Bridges is a cop show tempering lots of action with a sly sense of humor. In many ways Bridges is a lot like Chuck Norris' Walker although with a more developed, outgoing character. Bridges is both tough and likeable.
The violence in the show is typical for the police-action genre. Each episode is full of guns and fist fights. In the series debut on 3/29/96 there were over 15 scenes of violence in just one hour. In the episode aired on 3/30/96 a Chinese gang breaks into Bridges' apartment, and guns blaze nearly non-stop for the next minute and a half. Another example of prolonged gunfire is found in the episode on 4/5/96 in which the police conduct a drug sting. After the cops burst into the drug dealer's apartment, machine guns and pistols spray bullets back and forth for a full minute before Bridges bashes the criminal unconscious with a fire extinguisher. Although the program is aired at 10:00 p.m. and thus deserves some latitude in its violent content, long and excessive sequences emphasize the violence. Of eight episodes monitored, it raised concerns on three occasions.
JAG (NBC)
An action-oriented detective show with a military theme, JAG features the adventures of Lieutenant Harmon Rabb, Jr., a U.S. Navy lawyer in the Judge Advocate General's office, JAG for short. With the help of Lieutenant Meg Austin, Rabb is assigned the duty of investigating cases ranging from murder to drug dealing.
The first problem with JAG is the large number of violent scenes, often excessive in length. The second problem is that the combination of the U.S. Navy theme and the quest for justice leads to a glorified use of violence. One episode of JAG on 12/2/95 was filled with over 15 scenes of violence. In this episode, as in many others, much of the violence is less about developing the plot than inspiring a sense of patriotism in the audience.
Violence, from hand-to-hand combat to huge explosions to heavy amounts of gunfire, is an essential ingredient in the show. The violence seldom raises concerns due to intensity or graphicness but rather through quantity, glorification, the 8:00 p.m. time slot and scene length. The episode on 4/10/96 contained only one scene of violence but that scene, which occurred near the end and served as the culmination, contained seven separate explosions and much gunfire.
Another violent finale occurred in the episode on 10/21/95 in which the wife of the Thai ambassador tries to kill Rabb. After drugging him, she pulls out a knife and there is a closeup of her slashing his arm. As they struggle, Austin arrives and fights the crazed woman. The two women fight and wrestle each other to the ground until Austin is able to knock the woman unconscious by punching her in the face. This is a fairly typical fight scene for JAG.
The use of the upbeat, high-charged, patriotic music in the background of many scenes (reminiscent of old John Wayne war films) creates a sense of excitement and stimulation that glorifies the action on screen. Of the 20 times JAG was examined, it raised concerns six times.
American Gothic (CBS)
Following the success of Fox's eerie thriller, The X-Files, American Gothic represents CBS's effort to develop an intense program focusing on the supernatural. Like The X-Files, it aired on Friday nights at the beginning of the season.
A serial program set in the sleepy community of Trinity, South Carolina, American Gothic focuses on the ongoing struggle between good and evil that plagues this seemingly picture-perfect small town. Sheriff Lucas Buck, the show's main character, is a mysterious and wicked being who uses his strange and evil powers to manipulate and punish all those who do not bend to his will. In effect, he holds the town hostage to his capricious personality. His goal is to gain control over his only son Caleb, whom he fathered during a rape, so that he could pass on his legacy of evil. All that stands in the way of Buck's scheme are a reporter, a doctor and the spirit of Caleb's murdered sister.
With this kind of theme, it is not surprising that American Gothic was one of the darkest television series broadcast this season. This was its intent and the apparent reason it appealed to its audience. Like The X-Files, the heavy supernatural influence added to the overall unsettling feeling of the show and made it seem more violent than the number of scenes would otherwise indicate.
The actual number of violent scenes was never very high, particularly considering its 10:00 p.m. time slot. However, unlike JAG or Space: Above and Beyond, it was not the number that raised concerns but the macabre and brutal nature of some scenes that raised important issues. In the series debut on 9/22/95, a father viciously hits his mentally deranged teenage daughter over the head with a shovel. Although viewers do not see the shovel's impact, what has happened is clear and it is likely to cause a strong reaction from the audience. Sheriff Buck then enters the room to find the man standing over his daughter with a confused and frightened look on his face, not really comprehending what he has just done. Buck ushers him out of the room only to return and take the girl's head in his hands and twist it, breaking her neck and killing her. The episode was preceded by an advisory, but this type of brutal and malevolent violence, particularly with a child victim, raised considerable concerns.
American Gothic's opening credits often consist of a chaotic montage of scary and violent scenes. For example, at the beginning of one episode the viewer sees in the course of six seconds images of a human skull, a screaming boy, a spilled goblet of blood, a hand choking a woman, the cut-up face of what appears to be a possessed little boy, a demon's face transform into that of a man, a dollar bill splashed with blood, a body being thrown across the room as it is electrocuted, a window being shattered and a man trying to break down a door with a shovel. All of these scenes flash by while jarring, threatening music blares. This opening sequence gives the impression that the program is filled with ugly, violent scenes when in truth only a few of the episodes contained content of concern. Of the 12 times the show was monitored, three episodes raised concerns.
Melrose Place (Fox)
A highly stylized melodrama from prolific producer Aaron Spelling, Melrose Place focuses on the lives, work and loves of a group of young, attractive residents of an apartment complex on Melrose Avenue. Although it contained some violence that came close to raising concerns last season, ultimately it did not make the list of shows which raised occasional concerns. This season is a different story.
Not only is the violence intensified this season, but also there is much more of it. While most is typical fighting or brawling, some is particularly intense, often depicted in slow motion or accompanied by melodramatic music. In an episode on 9/18/95 the psychotic physician Kimberly stabs a therapist in the hand with a pencil. Although the scene was probably designed to show that Kimberly was at her wit's end, its main effect is to make the audience squirm in their seats. The next episode (9/20/95) features an intense struggle followed by a graphic shooting. The following episode (9/25/95) uses the same graphic scene to recap what happened in the previous episode.
Occasionally violence occurs in the dreams or fantasies of the characters. On the same 9/25/95 show, Kimberly's former husband Michael dreams of his ex-wife. In his dream she breaks out of her cell in a mental institution and then stabs him with a knife. On 1/15/96 Sydney fantasizes about pushing her sister Jane in a wheelchair into the street where she is graphically and noisily crushed by a fast-moving big truck. The 4/1/96 episode opens with another of Sydney's very violent dreams, this one involving her love interest being attacked by two hitmen. In the course of the scene there is a barrage of gunfire resulting in the death of the two Mafia thugs.
Scenes that last year might have ended with a slap to the face now conclude with characters crashing through chandeliers (10/23/95) or getting hit in the head with a hammer (4/15/96). Violence is present in most episodes of the show and frequently is portrayed in slow motion or with other special effects. Of the 32 times Melrose Place was examined, it raised concerns ten times.
SeaQuest 2032 (NBC)
The second incarnation of SeaQuest in three years, this season the underwater action/adventure show moved into the future, setting the program in the year 2032. The time shift meant that the previous captain of the submarine, Roy Scheider, had be to replaced by a new leader, the tougher-than-nails Michael Ironside.
Last season the plots containing action and violence raised occasional concerns, largely due to its 8:00 p.m. time slot. These problematic plots continued in the new futuristic setting of the show. The concerns this year were never related to the graphicness of the violence but rather to the prolonged and at times intense battle scenes in what is primarily a children's television show. Some of the episodes of SeaQuest contained ten or more scenes of violence. Many of the scenes are portrayed as "cool" and exciting. The episode on 11/1/95 contained nine scenes featuring stun guns, knives, a large whip, a metal bar and the ever-present lasers. One of the nine scenes lasted for close to two minutes. SeaQuest was monitored ten times, raising concerns on three occasions.
Due South (CBS)
Due South, which last season was on the list of shows raising frequent concerns about violence, was downgraded this year to the list of shows raising occasional concerns. Seemingly canceled at the end of last season, this joint Canadian-American production returned as a mid-season replacement program this year.
This is a police show with large doses of humor. The plot concerns a straight-laced Canadian Mountie who moves to Chicago where he is teamed up with a streetwise American cop. The humorous element arises out of the conflicting personalities and styles of the Mountie and the cop. As a police show, violence is inherent in the theme.
Last year the concerns centered on the 8:00 p.m. time slot; the frequently excessive, long scenes of violence near the end; and some occasional, intense violence that seemed out of context with the light, comic tone of much of the show. These same issues exist this season, though problematic violent scenes are fewer in number and less intense. There are still occasionally long scenes of excessive violence, sometimes lasting well over three minutes. Frequently, the show features unrealistic violence which is very exciting. Characters jump out of windows and dive through glass doors unscathed. Slow motion is often used to intensify scenes of action, such as those in which bodies fly through the air as the result of an explosion. At times the violence is accompanied by lighthearted or exciting music which tends to either trivialize or enhance the act.
One episode on 12/15/95 contained two scenes in which characters are shown being sliced with a knife close-up. Another show on 12/22/95 contained many scenes of violence featuring windows being smashed, punches and fist-fights, kicks, two people being shot, knives, falls, a car collision and a dog attack.
Much of the time the show successfully blends police action with humor. This is basically a lighthearted comedy that sometimes goes overboard in utilizing ugly, graphic and prolonged images of violence. All of these comments aside, Due South managed to blend action and comedy with fewer scenes of problematic violence far better in its second season than it did in the first. Consequently it only raised occasional concerns this season on four of the 16 times it was examined.
America's Funniest Home Videos/World's Funniest Videos (ABC)
As we predicted, a few people did react with "Oh, come on," to last year's placement of America's Funniest Home Videos on the list of programs with frequent concerns. Though not the program or type of violence many social scientists or governmental officials would cite when identifying television violence, we argued last year that the program does raise concerns and we still believe it does.
Midway through the season, America's Funniest Home Videos was joined by a sister show, World's Funniest Videos. Although the programs have different hosts, their format is identical and both use amateur home video clips. Since the issues they raise are exactly the same, we lump them together for this report while noting that the violence in the videos clips on World's Funniest Videos is more intense than on the older, more established America's Funniest Home Videos. Though the issues remain, the overall severity of the violence has lessened somewhat, accounting for the program's shift from the frequent concern list to the occasional concern group.
This is still a show about people, frequently children, bumping their heads, falling down or running into things. The video clips are accompanied by exaggerated sound effects and laughing audience reaction shots which send the message that what viewers see on the screen is really not very serious and does not hurt.
Viewers would probably think it tasteless to laugh when Greg Louganis hit his head on a diving board during an Olympic dive. But they do laugh when the same thing happens to an unfortunate diver in the 1/11/96 episode. Viewers would also be unlikely to laugh had they watched Christopher Reeves being thrown from his horse, resulting in serious injury. But a similar scene, without the injury, in America's Funniest Home Videos on 1/18/96 produces laughter.
The episode on 2/1/96 contained videos of a man who hits his head on a pole, a soccer player who runs into a goal post, three consecutive video clips of people hit in the groin and approximately 20 clips of people falling down or running into various objects. On 4/11/96 a heavy basketball backboard falls on the head of a player and, in one of the worst scenes ever, on 4/25/96 audiences laugh as a man stands too close to an open flame and catches on fire.
America's Funniest Home Videos continues to air in a Sunday at 7:00 p.m. time slot which historically has been mandated by the FCC for news, public affairs or children's programming. Though the show has shown some improvement from last year, it still presents disturbing videos of violence with no context. The programs raised concerns 11 out of 40 times.
The Simpsons (Fox)
The Simpsons continues to be one of the most popular satires on television. Last year the show appeared on the list of programs with occasional problems because of intense and grisly violence that, while satirical, was likely to go over the heads of the considerable number of children in the audience of this 8:00 p.m. program. There is no question that the use of bright animation, funny voices and stories often told from the child's point of view all contribute to making this a popular program among children. Adults are usually able to discern satire from reality but children have a harder time doing so.
The concerns about The Simpsons, occasional though they be, do not arise from the slaps, kicks, brawling or other staples of animation. Instead they result from the sometimes intense, extraordinarily graphic images--such as dismemberments, stabbings, and beheadings--occasionally found in this satire of America set in the town of Springfield in an unidentified and unidentifiable state.
The best example of the excessive violence is found in "The Itchy and Scratchy Show," a cartoon about an animated mouse and cat. They are characters in the most popular cartoon on Krusty the Klown's after-school cartoon show that Bart and Lisa Simpson watch. Based on cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, Itchy and Scratchy are a spoof of the ultra-violent cartoons many adults grew up watching as kids. They take the extreme cartoon violence and raise it to a new and ridiculous level. Within this context, adults can appreciate the satire. However, children only see Itchy and Scratchy as extremely violent cartoons that Bart, Lisa and even Homer love. Several seasons ago, Marge (the mother) registered her dismay at these violent cartoons and, in a satire of Terry Rakolta (a Michigan mother who campaigned to get violence off of television), wrote to advertisers protesting their sponsorship of such violent programming. The sponsors listened and the cartoons disappeared, but Marge realized that she had gone too far and had become a censor, which was never her intent. In the subsequent season, Itchy and Scratchy made a movie which was filled with nothing but violence. Last season the cartoon mouse and cat opened a theme park, Itchy and Scratchy Land, "The Violentest Place on Earth." As an adult satire this works. For children, it may be nothing more than ultra-graphic images of violence that are made to appear laughable.
This is not the typical animated violence found in old cartoons in which a character is shot at close range creating a gaping hole in the midsection which is then quickly healed. On 10/1/95 Itchy breaks a bottle and stabs Scratchy in the chest, causing blood to pour out of Scratchy's chest onto the pavement. Other disturbing scenes involve the tormented cat being stabbed in the eye with the Seattle Space Needle (10/8/95) and being set on fire (3/17/96). On 10/15/95 Scratchy's stomach is cut open.
Bart and Lisa are always shown laughing at the gruesome cartoon. The satirical intent is clear to adults but lost on the large number of children viewing. As the report stated last year, The Simpsons works as an adult satire and if it were scheduled for adults and had mainly adults in its audience, it would raise few concerns. However, this is not the case. There is no way to ignore or not take seriously these images which are some of the most violent on television. Of the 26 times The Simpsons was monitored, the show raised concerns six times.
Charlie Grace (ABC)
Airing on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m., Charlie Grace features Mark Harmon as the title character, an ex-cop turned private detective in Southern California. Trying to capture a film noire feeling with a 90's twist, Grace is a hard-boiled, upright private detective with a sensitive side that is brought out by his almost-teenage daughter.
At its core, Charlie Grace is a lighthearted drama with the comedic and action elements that are typical of this genre. The principal concerns raised by the show were the occasional instances of heavy gunplay (10/19/95), fist fights (9/14/95) and glorified violence, particularly for this early time slot. The program would have raised fewer concerns at 9:00 p.m. Of the seven times it was monitored, it raised concerns twice.
An in-depth discussion of particular issues in prime time series television follows. It should be noted that several of the matters discussed below were addressed in last year's report. We repeat them this year because, while we have distinguished and addressed new and interesting issues from the 1995-96 television season, several of those that were raised last year are compelling and important enough to warrant continued consideration this year. Several of these issues, when appropriate, have been updated and illustrated with examples taken from this season. However, in instances in which we felt that a better example existed in the first year of monitoring, we were compelled to use it to better illuminate the issue.
The 1995-96 season produced some of the best drama ever to appear on television. The overall quality of shows such as NYPD Blue, Chicago Hope, E.R., Law & Order, Homicide, Murder One and Fox's 9:00 p.m. Party of Five (the Fox network does not have a 10:00 p.m. time slot) reached new heights this season.
These are shows featuring vivid, fully drawn, multidimensional characters who have complex personalities that unfold as the season develops. Though these shows frequently contain scenes of violence (as shows dealing with the real world would be expected to), they rarely, if ever, raise concerns about how they use violence. The ways in which they portray violence and the lessons that can be learned from these shows will be detailed in the following section.
But these are not just shows that deal with violence well. They contain some of the highest quality drama created by Hollywood. Considering that a two-hour motion picture takes a year or more to produce while a program like Chicago Hope produces 22 high-quality hours a season, it is an tribute to the talent of the creators and writers. Many episodes of Homicide and Law & Order are as well written and compelling as some feature films.
Certain genres of television programming and feature films frequently combine elements of violent action and comedy. This is different from the use of slapstick violence in situation comedies or the hyperbolic "real" violence found in the Naked Gun films where the violence itself is the joke. Instead, in these instances, the humor simply accompanies the violence, typically in the form of dry, snappy dialogue during violent encounters. Detective shows like Charlie Grace, Nash Bridges and Due South are the types of programs that most often feature this blend of comedy and violence. This union of themes often has the effect of enhancing the characters' appeal, making them appear cool under pressure. However, it also functions to trivialize the violence, much of which is, in reality, very serious. Incorporating comedy into such dangerous and potentially lethal violence as fist fights, gun battles and car chases makes the violence seem lighthearted and inconsequential. Scientific research and logic indicate that this can have the effect in viewers of lessening their inhibitions against violence by making it appear less serious than it really is as well as glorifying it. By detracting from the severity and consequences of violence, certain audience members could become desensitized to this type of violence and view it as more acceptable. This is of particular concern when it occurs in earlier time slots because of children's greater susceptibility to such perceptual influences.
E.R. was the breakout hit of the 1994-95 television season. It finished number two in the Nielsen ratings for the entire season last year and this year it finished in first place. Created by author, director and physician Michael Crichton and produced by John Wells, it was the first medical show in years to become popular and restored much of the lost luster to television drama. Chicago Hope was produced by David Kelley, the Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of L.A. Law and the creative force behind Picket Fences.
Both series run at 10:00 p.m. and raise interesting issues regarding context and definitions of violence. Both are set in hospitals and E.R., of course, is specifically set in an emergency room. It is one of those odd coincidences that both also take place in Chicago. It is not surprising, in light of the producers' intent and approach, that both shows deal with and necessarily show very graphic portrayals of the consequences of violence.
Very early last season, we had to deal with scenes of doctors using scalpels to cut into patients. We had to decide whether these were scenes of violence and, if so, how to classify them. This is where the soundness of the contextual analysis of violence became most apparent. We clearly felt that under no circumstances could a scene with a doctor using a scalpel to save someone's life ever be construed as a scene of problematic violence. Early last season we saw an episode of Chicago Hope in which a doctor makes a long incision into an abdomen during surgery. The camera zoomed in very close and, as the scalpel moved, the viewer could see blood rise to the surface of the skin. It was an extraordinary special effect likely to make many of those watching squirm. While it was an extremely graphic image, it could not be categorized as problematic violence. The context lets us know that this is a beneficial act designed to save a life. The same scene of a scalpel cutting, however, would have been one of the most horrific scenes of violence possible if the knife had been held by a terrorist or a murderer. The difference between a non- problematic violent act and a horrific act of violence has nothing to do with the close-up itself. It is the surrounding context that determines whether the act is interpreted as life-saving or sadistic.
Medical shows frequently contained scenes similar to the one described above. We expect to see scalpels and blood in medical shows as part of the context. In both shows, there was only one case over the past two seasons that raised some concerns, Chicago Hope on 10/20/94. In this episode a man walks into the hospital and opens fire with a gun. The scene, in depicting the consequences of the gun fire, uses overly graphic and disturbing images of blood spurting and gushing from the victim's neck. Although the show is based on realistic themes and is intended to demonstrate consequences, the extraordinary amount of gushing blood served more to illustrate special effects than to advance the story. Together the two shows were examined 25 times this seasons and never raised any concerns: an impressive record.
This is yet another of the new hits of this television season. 3rd Rock (the Earth is the third planet from the Sun) is about the adjustments a group of aliens must make when they arrive on Earth. It is filled with comedy and social satire about the Earth's strange ways as seen by the aliens. In one episode on 2/6/96, the female alien uses pliers to grab the groin of a chauvinistic mechanic, thereby attracting his attention. This is a scene played completely for laughs which is not meant to be taken seriously. While the extremity of this act was more severe in comparison to the other slapstick acts of violence in the program, it did not raise serious issues with regard to violence. Although this particular scene was not problematic, this points to a noteworthy issue. While comedy does deserve (and gets) some latitude, somewhere a scriptwriter decided that there would be a scene where a character's crotch is grabbed with pliers to make the audience laugh. This incident raises the issue of laughing at people getting hurt. Of all the ways we can be made to laugh, this is the one the producers choose in this episode. Whereas this specific example was not serious enough to be a problem, there exists the potential for inappropriate uses of violence in comedy.
A handful of shows monitored this season raised issues regarding their opening credits. While two of those programs--American Gothic and Real Stories of the Highway Patrol--are specifically described elsewhere in this report, we felt that they deserved a more in-depth discussion.
Typically, television programs open with scenes that introduce the story of the ensuing episode or recap continuing story lines. At the scene's conclusion, it moves to the opening credits which usually consist of a montage of clips set to a theme song. In most instances, the principal function of these clips is to gain viewers' interest by establishing the basic premise of the program. Some programs vary their opening credits as the season progresses, only featuring a particular collection of clips for a few episodes. Other programs use the same credits throughout the season.
The opening credits of a handful of series this season raised issues. These programs each frequently feature credits containing as many as ten successive violent images in the course of six seconds. The opening credits for Walker, Texas Ranger feature Chuck Norris smashing through the windshield of a car and kicking an object out of the hand of a man, two explosions, Norris' sidekick punching a man and a gun fired toward the camera.
Because of the rapid-fire nature of most credits, little or no context is supplied for these acts of violence. They are little more than a string of violent interactions. This raises an issue similar to one discussed later in the section on promotions, namely, that opening credits of this type use decontextualized violence to sell the program.
In a related issue, at the end of each episode of the program Deadly Games (discussed later in the section on the emerging networks), the most violent clips from that episode are featured in its concluding credits. Although this does not raise the same issue of selling the program with violence, it does function to highlight only the most violent aspects of the program. This does represent a new technique in which the purpose of the closing credits of a show is to capture and hold the audience's attention, in this case using violence to that end.
f. Repetition of a Scene of Violence within an Episode of a Series
This is a technique primarily found on Unsolved Mysteries and some tabloid news programs in which an episode may play the same scene of violence three or more times. Some of the tabloid news programs, as evidenced by an episode of American Journal on 5/24/96, play the same action or violent scene as many as five times in a single episode. On the 12/8/95 episode of Unsolved Mysteries, a team of Oakland police officers is ambushed by drug dealers and a gunfight breaks out. The scene is shown twice. A scene on 11/17/95 in which a man attacks his ex-wife with a knife is shown three times (once as a preview and twice during the account).
While neither of these scenes raised issues of concern with regard to the on-screen presentation of the violence, it is worth noting that the scene of violence was the one they chose to replay. While in the first Unsolved Mysteries example cited above we found that this technique lent itself to effective storytelling and to the emphasis of a point, in the other example it was completely gratuitous and only had the effect of showcasing the most violent element of the program.
g. Beverly Hills 90210 (Fox) and Shows That Rarely Contain Violence
Sometimes a show that rarely deals with issues of violence will air a program with a violent theme. This raises a very interesting question. The show develops a reputation as one that seldom, if ever, contains violence. Viewers get used to this, rely on it and perhaps it is a major reason they like the show. When, because of violence, a particular episode is out of step with the entire series, is it inappropriate because it is not what viewers expect? Or because the show so seldom raises these issues, is it afforded a measure of latitude occasionally to expand its themes or move in a slightly different direction?
This issue was raised last season in a Beverly Hills 90210 episode aired 1/18/95. The show is about the interpersonal relationships of a group of college students attending California University in Los Angeles. Rarely does this show deal with issues of violence, although in the past there have been occasional episodes dealing with timely subjects such as date rape. One of the plot lines of the show last season was the way in which Dylan McKay dealt with losing his fortune to swindlers. The viewer sees him return to alcohol and engage in self-destructive behaviors. Toward the middle of the season, he learns that the couple who stole his money is in a Latin American country. He travels there for a confrontation to recover his wealth.
The entire episode is very much out of character for Beverly Hills 90210. Dylan hooks up with a somewhat shady investigator and the show more closely resembles a B-grade detective film than an episode of Beverly Hills 90210. The show culminates in a fight scene with fists flying, sword fighting and gun fire. Similarly, a later episode in the season features Dylan, in a hypnotic spell, reliving a past life in the Old West in which there is also gun fighting. Dylan himself is killed in the final scene.
The issue arose again this season in an episode aired on 11/8/95 in which Dylan's wife is mistakenly killed by a bullet meant for Dylan. The scene of violence, which had the potential to be extremely graphic, was very well handled, showing no more than was necessary to the plot. However, the fact remains that this type of violence is more lethal and brutal than viewers might reasonably expect to see on this program.
Violence is out of character for these kinds of shows, but they deserve a measure of latitude, particularly as they search for new directions. While the show rarely features much violence, the level of violence must still be fairly non-graphic and tame for it not to raise concerns. These types of shows are subject to the same general standards to which all shows are held. Though out of character episodes such as those mentioned above in Beverly Hills 90210 could raise concerns, these particular ones did not.
h. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (NBC) and "Real Violence" on a Comedy Show
The Fresh Prince is about the character played by the likable Will Smith who lives with his relatives in Bel Air in a show reminiscent of the old Beverly Hillbillies. This is a comedy that draws heavily on the considerable talents of Smith who plays off of his rich and stuffy relatives and friends. Although it uses a fair amount of slapstick comedy, it never raises serious concerns about its use of violence.
In a two-part episode last season (2/6/95, 2/13/95), Will was shot. These episodes add a somber and scary note to an otherwise lighthearted show. Even though it was out of character for the show, in no sense does the violence of the shooting raise any concern. It might catch young viewers off guard and add an element of unpleasantness into an otherwise pleasant show. This is exactly the intent of the producers and they do it well. The violence is jarring. Viewers do not expect to see our favorite characters shot, just as they do not expect to see their friends or family members shot. The shooting is not sensationalized and the consequences of the act are seen. Will and his family learn first-hand about the devastating effects of violence. Everything in this "special" episode is an attempt to deal responsibly with violence in our everyday lives. M*A*S*H, for example, was quite effective at this by mixing comedy and the tragedy of violence in a thought-provoking way. While the intrusion of violence into comedies may disturb some viewers, responsibly portrayed violence is exactly the kind of thing television should do more often.
Reading the above analysis might give the impression that prime time series are filled with violent themes. In fact, only a few shows this season consistently raised issues about violence. Many shows impressed us with how well they were able to convey conflict and grittiness without resorting to excessive or contextually inappropriate uses of violence. As mentioned earlier, the 10:00 p.m. dramas were particularly outstanding in how they handled violent themes while almost never resorting to excessive, graphic images or gratuitous or glorified violence. The work of Steven Bochco, David Kelley, Steven Spielberg and John Wells was especially notable in its sensitive handling of violence. It is encouraging to see that violence can be portrayed so responsibly and thoughtfully.
An entire season of monitoring NYPD Blue 21 times, Picket Fences 12 times, Chicago Hope 14 times, E.R. 11 times, Homicide 22 times, and Law & Order 11 times produced only one inappropriate portrayal of violence. Although these shows deal with themes containing violence, they generally do so by portraying violence in a way that is not overly graphic, is relevant to the story and is in a time period suitable for such themes. There is much to commend in these shows and they should serve as models for how to deal with violence in an intelligent and responsible manner. In the following analyses we have tried to explain what we feel is impressive in these shows. The three programs that were commended in last year's report continue to be high quality shows, often with violent themes, that seldom raise concerns about how they portray violence. The three shows repeating from last year are:
NYPD Blue (ABC)
Envisioned as broadcast television's first R-rated drama, NYPD Blue consistently deals with violent themes in a responsible manner. Famous for its use of some semi-nudity and explicit (for network television) language, the show was never found to be irresponsible in its use of violence. Many people unfamiliar with the show associate it with other police shows containing explicit violence. Those who watch NYPD Blue know that it contains little violence and, when it does address violent themes, they are always completely relevant to the story.
Based on the experiences of New York City Police Department detectives, the show necessarily deals with violence. It would not be possible to portray the lives of New York cops without frequently dealing with violence. Unlike the policemen portrayed on older police shows such as Adam-12, the officers are not completely virtuous. Pushed to the wall by the pressures of their dangerous jobs, the officers struggle and occasionally act brutally when arresting or extracting confessions from suspects.
The show also deals extensively with the psychological causes and consequences of violence. Violence is depicted as a realistic part of daily life in the city. However, the show is not overrun by guns. The violence, such as slaps or threats, is often born of frustration. Although the police officers frequently consider violent action, they typically demonstrate restraint.
Violence is portrayed as problematic. The police are depicted as human and multi-dimensional characters. The bad guys are not pure evil. This leads to a responsible and realistic handling of violence. The producers understand that it is not necessary to show graphic scenes of violence in order to deal with violence in the show.
Every act of violence portrayed in NYPD Blue is contextually appropriate. Nothing is excessive, everything is realistic and the consequences are always shown. NYPD Blue is close to a textbook example of how to deal with violent material and others can benefit by studying its methods.
Homicide (NBC)
Homicide contains few scenes of violence and some episodes contain none at all. Frequently scenes are nothing more than already dead bodies that are used to set up a homicide investigation. The show is often a murder mystery that does not even depict the murder. The focus of the program is typically on the investigation and psychological dimensions of the crime and not on the graphic and exciting nature of the violent act itself. Like NYPD Blue, Homicide presents a world in which violence and conflict are prevalent in urban life.
Almost all of the violence is realistic and demonstrates consequences. Frequently action is taken to prevent violence. Homicide effectively avoids gratuitous violence while at the same time portraying the gritty reality of urban life.
Law & Order (NBC)
"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate but equally important groups: the police, who investigate, and district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories." With this statement, Law & Order begins. This is an unusual show which dedicates approximately half of its one-hour program to a police investigation and the other half to the follow-up prosecution of the case. The goal of the show is to depict the justice system in a realistic light. This is achieved through character and plot development which is gritty, intense and illustrates consequences.
Typically, Law & Order will feature one act of violence at the beginning of the show. This is usually the crime which is being investigated, which acts as the story line's driving force. Thus, this act of violence is always contextually appropriate (as are all of the other violent acts in the show). More often than not the crime itself is not seen, and the audience is presented with the aftermath of the violent action, i.e., a "dirty dead body." Moreover, the consequences of the violence are dealt with in a commendable manner. One example of the show's admirable portrayal of consequences occurred the season finale airing on 5/22/96. In this episode the four main characters are witnesses to a state execution. The remainder of the show is dedicated to how the characters deal with what they have seen: two turn to alcohol, one has a brief affair and the other questions the law and even her own job. In speaking with one of her old law professors, she says, "...what happened this morning will stick with me for the rest of my life."
In attempting to make the show true to life, it occasionally portrays the police as bullying some suspects with threatening language or physical coercion. In one episode, a police officer pushes a suspect during an interrogation. However, these acts are never overdone or gratuitous in nature.
Law & Order integrates violence into the plot in a responsible fashion. The violent acts are not heroic, glamorized or prolonged. Law & Order substitutes graphic images and realistic consequences that work in tandem to give the program a more violent feel without having to show the violent act. The dramatic edge is provided by the detailed rigors of police investigations, which often create mysteries that the District Attorney's office must solve. Then, the dramatic tension is continued by the atmosphere of the courtroom in which a verdict of guilt or innocence is never predictable. This is a cop show without a lot of violence and yet it has compelling elements that keep its viewers riveted to the show.
In addition to the three shows from last year that deal with violence well, there are four programs that were added to the list:
Matt Waters (CBS)
A mid-season replacement show which ran for six episodes, Matt Waters stars daytime talk show host Montel Williams as a strong-willed, moralistic, yet understanding ex-Marine turned high school teacher in the inner city. In each episode Waters provides wisdom and support for his students in dealing with important social issues ranging from domestic abuse to teen pregnancy to racism. Earnestly attempting to capture the richness as well as the grit and danger of urban America, the show thoughtfully deals with any and all of the violence that occurs in the program.
In an episode on 1/17/96, after a drive-by shooting at the school endangers students, Waters teaches them about the problem of becoming desensitized to violence. He takes a group of teenagers to a hospital emergency room on a Friday night where they learn about the importance of life and the destructive effects of violence. In this episode, all of the scenes containing violence were extremely well handled. Nothing was in any way gratuitous or prolonged and it was all contextually relevant to the story.
Although the program is occasionally preachy, Matt Waters deserves to be lauded for seriously and responsibly dealing with important social topics, many of which involve violence. Regrettably, the show did not find an audience and was canceled. We hope that more programs will follow in the mold of Matt Waters and find an audience.
Chicago Hope (CBS) and E.R. (NBC)
Similar in premise, both Chicago Hope and E.R. follow the lives and work of doctors in Chicago hospitals. Both are high quality shows featuring strong characters and well crafted stories. Focusing on the treatment of injury and disease, both programs necessarily include a degree of violence as patients are often the victims of attacks, car accidents, fire and other incidents. Sometimes the acts of violence occur in the hospital itself and are directed against the medical staff. Both programs deal with the full consequences of violence, making it clear that death or permanent injury is a result of violence and that the toll on the victims, their families and friends and the doctors themselves is usually devastating.
On the occasions when violence is portrayed within the shows, both Chicago Hope and E.R. have handled it with commendable gravity and realism. An episode of Chicago Hope on 1/22/96 contained the most realistic depiction of an explosion and its consequences that was seen all season. Unlike what was seen in many theatrical films, the explosion on Chicago Hope was in no way stylized or glamorized. It was shown as a horrible event with horrendous consequences. Typically when something explodes on television the explosion is filmed in slow motion from multiple angles as red, yellow and orange billows of fire and smoke unfold across the screen. However, an episode of Chicago Hope, in which an extremist anti-abortion organization bombs a clinic, was handled in a manner that in no way glamorized the explosion. Instead, viewers were confronted with a realistic blast and its effects, thereby achieving a far more dramatic impact than if it had been treated in a typical action manner.
At no time during the season did either program raise any issues in terms of violence. All violence contained in either show was integral to the development of characters and plot. It was also portrayed in a realistic manner that fully dealt with the consequences of the violence.
High Incident (ABC)
One of the first television shows developed by the new studio Dreamworks SKG, High Incident is executive produced by Steven Spielberg. A cop show focusing on a group of LAPD officers, High Incident follows the police as they patrol the city investigating and solving crimes.
Although it contains more scenes of violence, is more graphic and less gritty than NYPD Blue, High Incident handles violence in the same commendable way. Emphasizing the development of its characters far more than the violence they face is a defining characteristic of the show. The program portrays violence realistically with long-term consequences. In the debut episode, an officer is gunned down by a motorist. His partner witnesses the attack and is forced to shoot and kill the motorist. The wounded police officer dies as blood pours from his throat. The rest of the episode as well as the next few episodes of the program deal with the heavy emotional toll the policeman's death has on the department and especially on the partner. The devastated partner experiences fear for his life on the job and mourns the death of his fellow officer, so much so that he is forced to see the department psychologist. The entire account focuses on the consequences of the violence rather than the actual incident which only served to establish the story line.
SUMMARY:
These dramatic series are commendable not because they avoid dealing with violence. Most comedies do this. What is so impressive about these shows is that they achieve a high level of grittiness and excitement without overemphasizing violence. A recommendation that a police or hospital show simply avoid violence would be unrealistic given the demands of the genre. These shows deal with violent themes but consistently do so in a contextually appropriate manner. Some conclusions we have drawn regarding responsible depictions of violence are as follows:
1) Violence is a part of city life. These shows understand that violence does occur in twentieth century urban America. They do not have to invent unusual or unrealistic ways of portraying violence.
2) The violence must be realistic. When violence is depicted on these shows, it is never exaggerated, cartoonish or sanitized and the consequences are shown.
3) Characters who commit violent acts do not do so easily and frequently demonstrate remorse. Violence does not exist in a vacuum. Rarely do police officers shoot or kill suspects, even guilty ones, and call it a day. Deciding to commit a violent act can be difficult. Often a character struggles with other options before resorting to violence. After committing a violent act, one often undergoes a painful process of self-examination and reflection.
4) It is not always necessary for the audience to see the violence. Violence need not always be shown in order to make a point, advance the plot or develop a particular character. Graphically depicting violence is seldom necessary and often serves merely to sensationalize rather than illuminate.
5) It is more difficult to write and produce these kinds of shows than typical action shows.
These shows require the creation of multi-dimensional characters whose actions are not always predictable. The characters cannot be superficially drawn because viewers have to understand their backgrounds and personalities in order to comprehend their actions. More traditional action shows, on the other hand, can use simplistic characters who reflexively resort to violence as the solution to problems.
These guidelines point to ways in which programs can effectively deal with violent themes in an contextually appropriate manner that rarely, if ever, raises concerns.
This is a new section of the report. Last season there was only one issue that arose in a television special. About midway through the American Comedy Awards on 3/6/95 Ellen DeGeneres presented the award for best motion picture comedy. Clips from each of the nominated films were shown beginning with The Santa Clause, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Forrest Gump. Then a clip was shown from Quentin Tarentino's Pulp Fiction. The clip that was chosen featured John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in the front seat of a car and a petty criminal in the back seat, held as prisoner. Holding a gun on the hostage, Travolta accidentally shoots him in the face, killing him and splattering massive amounts of blood and brain all over the car.
What was surprising was that such a violent clip was chosen, particularly in a television special with many children as well as unsuspecting adults in the audience. This was especially troublesome because it was included in a sequence of harmless clips taken from films that had family and youth appeal. Ironically, when Travolta and Jackson appeared on late night television talk shows to promote Pulp Fiction, they used a completely non-violent clip in which Travolta explains the difference between the McDonald's hamburger menu in France and in America. The clip used in the American Comedy Awards show was jarring and inappropriate for the context of the comedy awards and the audience. It was also a problem because there was nothing in the title or format of the show that would cause a viewer to expect a scene of such extreme violence.
Despite the problems cited above, the scene was an aberration and no other specials raised issues of concern. Therefore, there was no reason to focus on them or create a separate section in the report.
This season, however, specials have raised several issues. Two similar specials airing on different networks have raised exactly the same concerns and warrant being identified and discussed in this report. Both of these specials, airing on CBS and Fox, use real and re-created clips of animals attacking and, in some cases, killing and eating human beings.
On 1/25/96 CBS broadcast The World's Most Dangerous Animals Part I and on 5/7/96 Part II. CBS also broadcast on 5/21/96 World's Most Dangerous.... On 4/28/96 Fox aired When Animals Attack at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday night and then re-aired the show on 5/6/96. All of the specials were almost identical in format and featured a mixture of real and re-created footage of animals attacking people. The programs were reminiscent of the popular home video rental title Faces of Death which purports to be actual footage of people caught in the act of dying through falling, electrocution, suicide and, in some cases, from attacks by dangerous animals. Playing to the same morbid human fascination that leads people to gawk at auto accidents, both programs appeal to a perverse and voyeuristic aspect of human nature.
In some cases film footage of the exact same event was used in both programs. Video of a circus elephant in Honolulu going on a wild rampage, attacking several people, was shown in both programs. The scene begins with the elephant going wild and, when the trainer tries to stop the elephant, he is gored and crushed. The scene goes on, showing the elephant punishing and stomping a circus hand, kicking him in the head and tossing him around like a rag doll. The scene then shifts to outside the circus where the elephant charges another man, sending him flying to the ground. Quite graphic, the video shows a real person (the trainer) dying on camera. At the conclusion of the video clip, the elephant too is killed by gunfire from authorities unable to subdue the rampaging animal. The graphic video is accentuated by the fact that viewers know that what they are watching is real and that the victims are really hurt and, in one case, killed.
Other scenes in the specials show tigers attacking their trainers, bears mauling people, sharks biting divers and pitbulls attacking bystanders.
Some of the video re-creates animal attacks on humans. One such re-enactment in The World's Most Dangerous Animals depicts a woman being attacked by a crocodile. Viewers see the woman swimming in an African river and then the camera cuts to the lurking reptile. Suddenly the animal attacks, biting down on the woman's arm. Screaming, the woman is pulled under and billows of blood cloud the water. A man comes to help the woman and, as he is pulling her from the river, the image of the crocodile's mouth clamped down on her bloody arm is shown on screen. Ultimately, the woman loses her arm but keeps her life. As she is shown staggering away from the scene of the attack, the camera returns to the crocodile's menacing grin as it lies in wait for its next victim.
These specials are filled with dozens of images of ferocious animals attacking human beings. When Animals Attack was preceded with a strongly worded advisory: "The following program contains graphic real-life footage of animals attacking humans. Viewer discretion is strongly advised." The advisory was repeated after the opening sequence and near the end of the program, before the elephant attack. While the use of advisories is necessary and appropriate, it is not sufficient to alleviate concerns. It is also important to note that the Fox special aired at 7:00 on Sunday night, a time when the audience is likely to be filled with many children.
The CBS special The World's Most Dangerous Animals also issued an advisory: "Certain images in our program may be disturbing to some viewers." This advisory, however, rather than being issued in full screen or spoken, was scrolled quickly at the bottom of the screen. The other CBS special, World's Most Dangerous..., ran the same advisory in the same manner.
These are frightening and disturbing programs. While there is admittedly a human fascination with this kind of programming, these are just showcases for exploitative video footage of people being attacked and occasionally killed. The programming of a television network should not seek to emulate a car wreck at the side of the road.
The Discovery Channel also exploits this human interest in animal violence. The highest ratings for Discovery occur during "Shark Week." While the documentaries featured during "Shark Week" contain interviews with people attacked by sharks and offer many images of menacing sharks, they also offer scientific insight into what is known about sharks. They are not merely videos and re-creations of sharks attacking people. The Discovery Channel's documentaries may appeal to some of the same instincts that attract viewers to the dangerous animals specials, but they offer more than shot after shot of carnage.
The dangerous animal specials on CBS and Fox this season are programs that, more than just scaring children, are likely to terrify them. While almost all of the content featuring violence on broadcast television is fictional, a fact that can serve to reassure the audience that what they are watching is "just a story," this is not the case with these specials. Some of these specials were rerun on their respective networks.
An interesting violence issue arose in one of the most unlikely of places, The People's Choice Awards, which aired on CBS on 3/10/96. This is an awards show that uses Gallup polls to determine the pubic's favorite stars, movies and television programs. Part of this year's program was a "Lifetime Achievement" award given to actor Michael Douglas. Preceding the award to Douglas was a montage of some of his most memorable acting roles. One of the clips came from one of his best known films, Fatal Attraction. The selected scene shows Glenn Close, believed to be drowned in a bath tub, lunge to life and attack Douglas, only to be stopped when Douglas' wife, Anne Archer, shoots Close in the chest with a revolver.
It is both very intense and graphic. What is most interesting, however, it that in a montage tribute to Michael Douglas, it is a scene that barely shows Douglas and absolutely does not showcase his acting talents. Surely many other scenes in the film would have done a better job of serving as a tribute to Douglas. The scene is, however, one of the most violent in the film and that appears to be the reason it was selected. One is left with the feeling that the opportunity to highlight a very violent scene was considered more important than assembling an appropriate tribute to Michael Douglas.
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 come 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 valuable national discussions about slavery, the attempted extermination 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 have lost some of their luster. Television movies 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, and even 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 the early days of the trial. Next season promises at least one television movie on the Unabomber and his solitary life in a Montana shack, and probably one or more on the explosion of TWA Flight 800.
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."
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.
Last season we monitored 161 television movies and mini-series. This season the number swelled to 198, an increase of 23%. There was no sampling with regard to television movies. Every one of the 198 movies was viewed in its entirety and examined to determine whether it raised concerns about its use of violence.
Last year 23 of 161 television movies were found to raise concerns, a rate of 14%. This year, despite the significant increase in the number of television movies, 20 were found to raise concerns, a rate of 10%. Clearly, there has been some improvement in this area of television programming. It is encouraging that while the number of television movies increased, both the number and the percentage of films causing problems dropped. Last season this was found to be one of the areas of broadcast television most free of problems. There was less room for improvement here than in other areas such as theatrical films, on-air promotions and children's programming. Yet, this year's study reveals that there has been some improvement. Also of note is the fact that television movies still seem to be the one type of programming for which the networks are most reluctant to use advisories. Although only a small percentage of these movies raised concerns, those that did were almost always lacking advisories.
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.
Streets of Laredo Parts I & II (CBS-11/12 and 11/14/95)
Based on a novel by Larry McMurtry, Streets of Laredo was a two-part sequel to Lonesome Dove, one of the most successful and memorable mini-series in recent television history. Lonesome Dove was one of the very few television movies ever to be developed into a television series which now runs in syndication. Set in Texas during the 1880s, Streets of Laredo stars television veteran James Garner as Captain Woodrow Call, an ex-lawman turned bounty hunter on the trail of a 19-year-old Mexican murderer named Joey Garza.
Aired on two non-consecutive nights, first at 8:00 p.m. and then at 9:00 p.m., Streets of Laredo ran for a total of five hours during the November "sweeps" period. Both parts were preceded by an advisory warning of violent content. On both nights the advisory ran again after the first commercial break. Although this was one of the very few times that any of the networks issued an advisory for a television movie, there was so much extremely graphic and prolonged violence in this program that it still raised concerns. This was one of the few television movies that contained the quantity and quality of violence usually found only in theatrical films shown on television.
The three-hour first part contained 22 scenes of violence. These scenes ran the full spectrum of violence from mild pushes and grabs to full-fledged fist fights and shootings. In one of the most graphic scenes of the entire season, and certainly for television movies, 75 minutes into the program the character Billy, played by George Carlin, shoots off a man's ear with a rifle. As the victim stands in stunned disbelief, viewers see a large chunk of his ear dangle from the side of his head while blood pours down his collar. The man does not even appear very injured, only surprised. Billy, still pointing his rifle at the man as he moves toward him, cuts off what is left of the ear with a Bowie knife. He takes the remnant of the ear and shoves it into the victim's vest pocket telling him, "Could just have easy been your stinkin' heart." It is a horrific, graphic and glorified scene of violence that did not have to be so extreme to make its point.
The second part, beginning at 9:00 p.m., contained fewer scenes of violence. However, the nature of the violence in those scenes, as might be expected in the concluding part, was more extreme than in most of the scenes in the first part. In the opening scene of Part II, a crazed and vicious killer named Mox Mox strikes a little boy across the face and then pours fuel on him and his younger sister as he prepares to set them on fire. The two children are saved when Captain Call shows up and shoots Mox Mox and five members of his gang. The scene is very long and graphic as viewers see the bullets perforating the villains' chests. The thought of children being burned alive, even though it did not happen, created a very dark and disturbing tone throughout the scene.
The same episode contained an extremely intense scene in which a woman is forced to amputate Call's leg with only a Bowie knife and a rock. Although this is an example of violence to save a life and the actual amputation is not shown on screen, it was extremely intense. In the climactic scene, the killer Joey attempts to drown his brother and sister. When his mother attempts to stop him and bring him to reason, they struggle and Joey plunges a knife into her chest and then her stomach. Both stabbings are shown on the screen and the piercing of the stomach is shown close- up. It is an extremely graphic scene and, as mentioned earlier, uncharacteristic of a television movie.
In the discussion of whether Streets of Laredo raised concerns about violence, important consideration was given to examining the program within the context of the Western genre. Viewers are familiar with Westerns from the time they are little children. There is an expectation that this genre will contain men wearing holsters and carrying guns. It is also expected that there will be gunfights and morality battles between good and evil. This criticism of Streets of Laredo does not mean that a broadcaster should not be able to make and air a Western. Great latitude is given due to the fact that violence is inherent to the theme of most Westerns. The problem with Streets of Laredo is that the violence is so graphic, so plentiful and so much more vicious than is necessary to tell the story.
Gridlock (NBC-1/14/96)
When robbers strike New York City's Federal Reserve Bank and take hostages, it is up to David Hasselhoff to stop them in this action/adventure television movie. Hasselhoff plays renegade cop Jake Gorski, whose girlfriend Michelle, played by model Kathy Ireland, is one of those taken hostage during the heist. In a story very similar to that of the feature film Die Hard, Hasselhoff infiltrates the building and, after much action, single-handedly defeats the small army of villains.
Gridlock had the feel of a toned-down theatrical action film. Airing without an advisory, the television movie contained 27 scenes of violence, the highest number found in a two-hour television movie this season.
Never raising any serious concerns with regard to the issue of graphicness, Gridlock instead raises concerns over the amount and purpose of the violence. This is a good example of a program with so much violence that the entire context of the film becomes violence. At 27 scenes across two hours, with commercials factored in, a scene of violence occurs at an average of every four minutes. If most of these acts were mild, such as grabs or pushes or even an occasional punch, this would not be a major source of concern. However, this is not the case. Most of the scenes contain fist fights, gun battles, explosions and other forms of serious violence. Just about every type of violence found in an action television movie can be found in abundance in Gridlock.
This is a television movie that could have used an advisory. As an action story in the mold of a Die Hard, it is likely to attract a young audience. Considering that the theme is about violence and that violence forms much, if not most, of the context, an advisory definitely would help better inform responsible parents.
Generation X (Fox-2/20/96)
Loosely based on the Marvel comic book "The Uncanny X-Men," Generation X is an action- filled, cartoonish television movie chronicling the adventures of six teenage mutants. The mutants are selected to attend a special crime-fighting school that will allow them to use their super powers for the benefit of society. While developing their skills and powers, they attract the attention of an evil, diabolical scientist who wishes to extract mutated cells from their brains and inject them into himself, thereby gaining super powers.
The comic book familiarity and the similarity to other popular programs such as X-Men is likely to attract many children to this television movie. The 8:00 p.m. starting time further increases the likelihood that children will be watching.
This is another television movie that raises concerns because of the tonnage of the violence. Containing over 20 scenes in two hours, there is much action violence in Generation X. Also causing concerns is the lack of an advisory, the intensity and glorification of the violence and the length of several violent scenes.
In the climactic scene, just as the mad doctor attempts to drill into the skull of one of the mutants, he is attacked by the other mutants. A chaotic fight breaks out as each of the mutants uses his or her special skill to try to kill the villain. Within the scene there is a surprisingly fierce kick to the doctor's gut that seems especially mean-spirited when compared to the other types of cartoonish violence that occur throughout Generation X. It seemed particularly inappropriate considering that the kick was so intense and that it appears in a program appealing to children.
The violence in Generation X rarely raises issues of graphicness. The movie raises concerns about its use of violence because of the intensity, tonnage and glorification of the violence, the lack of an advisory and the fact that it is targeted to children. The violence in Generation X is similar to that found in the "sinister combat violence" category that applies to some children's television.
It Was Him or Us (CBS-11/21/95)
The ominous title of this television movie accurately describes a story about an abusive, psychopathic boyfriend who, when his girlfriend tries to leave him, takes her and her family hostage. The subject of abuse in a relationship, whether toward a spouse, a lover or a friend, has been a common theme of television movies over the past two seasons. Reflecting society's increasing concern over abusive relationships and pathological behaviors such as stalking, these television movies are frequently based on true stories and reveal the tortured details of these troubled relationships gone bad. It Was Him or Us is a good example of this type of television movie and other examples will follow shortly.
Richard Grieco plays Gene, the estranged boyfriend of Carrie, while Ann Jillian is featured as Carrie's mother, Peggy. The second half of the television movie depicts the insanely jealous and obsessive Gene taking Carrie and her family hostage in their own home and threatening to kill them.
Most of the early scenes of violence, though large in quantity, raise few concerns of intensity or graphicness. Most are of grabs or kicks and there is an occasional punch. There are also quite a few scenes in which Gene points a gun at and threatens to kill someone but does not actually complete any act of violence.
It is the final scene, however, that raises considerable concern about the way in which the violence is portrayed. It is obvious from the unfolding of the plot that violence will occur in the resolution of the story. That is expected. That it is so brutal, intense and accentuated by slow motion is not expected and serves only to emphasize and prolong the violence that ends the story. Just as Gene is about to kill his girlfriend and turn the gun on himself, the mother sneaks up behind him and shoots him five times. Although the impact of the bullets is not seen, the scene is, as already mentioned, filmed in slow motion and therefore prolonged. Serving as the dramatic payoff at the end of a tortuous and unpleasant story, the scene nonetheless seems glorified and the accompanying music only serves to emphasize this.
This is a typical example of a trend in television movies: an unpleasant story predicated on some of the most depraved and perverted crimes found in recent human experience. Although there may be merit in providing people with insight into these types of relationships, It Was Him or Us was filled with violence and seemed to use the sordid details of the plot to glamorize the story rather than to provide a warning.
Beauty's Revenge (NBC-9/25/95)
Another example of a television movie dealing with love turned violent, Beauty's Revenge stars Melrose Place's Courtney Thorne-Smith as Cheryl, a mentally unstable young woman obsessed with a man named Kevin. Cheryl's obsession with Kevin turns violent when he refuses to leave his girlfriend for her. The girlfriend, Beth, played by Tracey Gold, becomes the target of Cheryl's wrath and ultimately is murdered by her in an effort to gain Kevin's love.
Although Beauty's Revenge is predicated on violence, its subject matter could be considered to be important and provocative. It would be possible for the program to achieve its goal as a thriller while responsibly dealing with this subject matter. Unfortunately, this did not occur.
One of the recurring themes of the movie involves Cheryl's violent fantasy life. Typically her fantasies were played out on screen as if they were really happening in the story, only to end abruptly as the scene returned to real life. This serves to let viewers know that the violent scene they just saw only happened in Cheryl's twisted imagination. Two such scenes raised concerns. The first, occurring 12 minutes into the story, depicted Cheryl suddenly grabbing Beth by the neck and forcing her head into a sink filled with water. The camera's point of view then switches to show Beth's contorted face underwater as she struggles to free herself. It is a very brutal and disturbing scene because of its length and because viewers see her face as she is drowning. That it is immediately revealed to be a fantasy does not mitigate the concerns about the scene.
In the second fantasy, Cheryl picks up a pair of scissors and repeatedly stabs a receptionist in the chest. The impact of the scissors is not shown and the scene is filmed with a stroboscopic effect. Still, it is a scary and overly intense scene, especially as the victim clutches at her wound as blood pours through her hand.
Close to 90 minutes into the film, Cheryl actually kills Beth. After an argument, Cheryl climbs into the back seat of Beth's car and chokes her to death with a strap. It is a scene of ruthless violence that is shown in its entirety. Interestingly, the very same scene was shown at the beginning of the film but in a very different way. The first time the murder was shown, viewers see Cheryl attack Beth. But then the camera cuts to the exterior of the car while choking sounds let the audience know what is happening. It was an equally effective yet far less graphic means of portraying the murder.
Beauty's Revenge is based on a true story. That the producers are bound to the fact that Beth is murdered does not mandate that the death has to be shown with excessive graphicness. The earlier depiction of the murder demonstrates better than any critique that the crime can be portrayed in a way that does not irresponsibly shock and horrify the audience. This is another example of a television movie focusing on the most despicable and violent elements of humanity in a manner that does not inspire thought but rather morbid titillation.
An Unfinished Affair (ABC-5/5/96)
Another example of a movie about a jilted lover turning into a psychopathic killer, An Unfinished Affair stars Beverly Hills 90210's Jenny Garth as Sheila. Sheila is a younger woman who has an affair with Alex, a married man whose wife is diagnosed with terminal cancer. When Alex discovers that his wife will live and that he still loves her, he ends the affair. Spurned, Sheila seeks revenge. In retribution, she withholds a valuable silk screen that Alex loaned her and then seduces and tries to frame his son for murder. Finally she tries to kill both Alex and his recovered wife.
One of the scenes contained a very brutal and graphic stabbing. Sheila confronts a man who has been blackmailing both her and Alex. When the man turns away from her, Sheila twice plunges a knife into his back. As the man falls dead to the floor, the camera zooms in on the extremely bloody knife. A premeditated act, the killing is part of her plan to frame Alex's son for the blackmailer's murder. This was an unnecessarily graphic scene that could have been handled very differently. The return of the camera to the bloodied weapon serves only to accentuate the violence and does not add anything to the story.
Divas (Fox-9/19/95)
Telling the story of four female singers, Divas examines the difficulty of trying to get a record deal and make it in the music business. The film's central character is the singers' manager, Monty, who juggles family and financial problems and a romantic interest in one of the divas as he attempts to build a musical career for himself and the group.
Obviously violence is not the central theme of the film and there are only a few scenes of violence. What is surprising is the intensity and brutality of one of the scenes. Monty is angry that a man he set up on a date with one of the singers tried to rape her. He tracks down the attempted rapist in a pool hall where, after a brief verbal exchange, he jabs the man in the gut with a pool cue. He then proceeds to brutally beat the man, punching and kicking him while he is on the ground. Finally several patrons of the pool hall pull him off the severely beaten man. Although it could be argued that the attack was morally and dramatically (though not legally) justified and that it established Monty's strong feelings for the woman who was attacked, the violence was excessive, prolonged and glorified. This is especially true considering that there was so little violence in this film.
The music business theme and the lack of an advisory both promise a film that viewers might expect would be free of the type of scene described above. The brutal fight scene, while integral to the story and the development of Monty's character, could have been considerably shorter and less graphic without injuring the plot. Any viewer watching the promotions for the first few minutes of the film would not expect to see the pool hall scene. It can be argued that a Jean- Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal film, though loaded with violent scenes, makes it clear from the beginning that it contains much violence. This kind of film almost always contains an advisory to further prepare the audience for the content of the story. Divas, with no advisory and seemingly without violent content, may shock or dismay those who watch this television movie.
A Face to Die For (NBC-3/11/96)
Yet another story of love gone bad, A Face to Die For contains only a few intense scenes of violence, although its theme is centered on rage and violence. As a young girl, Emily is in a serious car crash that kills her father and leaves her face horribly scarred. Her feelings of self- loathing and despair do not end until a man, Alec, comes along and tells her that he loves her. Soon, however, Alec convinces Emily to steal from her boss and to cooperate in a robbery to cover his mounting gambling debts. Emily is caught during the robbery and goes to jail to cover for Alec while he gets away with the money. In jail she realizes he was using her and never really loved her, but instead was in love with her beautiful sister Sheila. While in prison she sees a plastic surgeon who reconstructs her face and makes her beautiful. Determined to get back at Alec, she assumes a new identity and becomes a famous fashion designer. When she discovers that Alec married her sister and has turned into a wife-beater, she concocts a plan to settle all scores. Alec soon discovers Emily's true identity and in the final scene attempts to rape both Emily and her sister. Emily, however, has brought a gun with her and in the final struggle pulls it out and, in self-defense, kills Alec.
There are acts of violence ranging from punches, kicks and hair pulling to the final shooting. The final scene was filmed from a variety of angles and features slow motion which further lengthens the depiction of the violence. A Face to Die For ran without an advisory.
In addition to the those listed above, the following television movies and mini-series were found to raise concerns about the use of violence:
The Babysitter's Seduction (NBC-1/22/96)
Deadly Pursuit (NBC-1/8/96)
Dead Man's Walk Part II (ABC-5/13/96)
Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice (NBC-2/18/96)
Face of Evil (CBS-4/9/96)
A Family of Cops (CBS-11/26/95)
Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert (NBC-10/15/95)
Hijacked: Flight 285 (ABC-2/4/96)
Remember Me (CBS-11/19/95)
Summer of Fear (CBS-4/3/96)
Terminal (NBC-2/12/96)
a. Network Television Has More Control Over Made-for-Television Movies than It Does over Theatrical Films
Television movies are a format the networks control from their inception. They can decide whether or not to make the movie, they have script approval and they can include or remove offensive or gratuitous scenes. Theatrical film is a different medium with different types of content and is less accessible to young children and thus has a greater opportunity to feature more violent fare. While many violent theatricals aired on television need to be cut to meet the standards of that medium, they cannot always be cut nor can their scenes be changed without significantly altering the film or damaging viewers' understanding. Examples of such films include Hard Target, Terminator 2, Under Siege and Cliffhanger. This being the case, it is debatable whether the most violent theatrical films are at all appropriate for the broad medium of network television in whatever form. At the same time, network television has complete control over television movies and thus is entirely responsible for their content. It is not surprising that the quantity and degree of the violence in television movies is considerably less than that found in theatrical films shown on television.
Possibly in response to last year's finding that relatively few television movies raised concerns (14%) while a much higher percentage of theatrical films did raise concerns (47%), there were many more television movies on the four networks this season and no increase in the number of theatrical films. And many of the theatrical films that did run this season were reruns of films already purchased by and aired on the networks.
Last season, the three traditional networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) used advisories only twice during the entire season for television movies and mini-series. This season there was a modest increase in the number of advisories used for television movies. Still, this is an area in which there is room for improvement in coming seasons. Our monitoring indicated that there was a clear need for more advisories. Many of the titles listed or described above contained themes of violence or very graphic or intense scenes. Many needed advisories.
The use or non-use of an advisory frequently made an important difference in the determination of whether a television movie raised concerns. Many of the television movies listed above would not have raised concerns if there had been an advisory and only one, Streets of Laredo, would still have raised concerns had it had an advisory.
The Fox network seems to have a different policy with regard to the use of advisories. This is undoubtedly due to the lack of a 10:00 p.m. network hour and the fact that all movies must begin at the earlier hour of 8:00 p.m. Fox is much more willing to use advisories and frequently runs them several times during a program to alert those who might have started watching after the beginning of the show. It would be preferable, however, if Fox would add an hour of prime time and begin both its television movies and theatrical films at 9:00 p.m.
Perhaps in an effort to appear more like theatrical films, television movies and mini-series contain more graphic scenes of violence than television series. The topics of many television movies, such as murder, abuse or rape, lend themselves to more graphic violence. But, in addition, the producers opt to depict these crimes more graphically than they do in most series.
Five television movies featured brutal stabbings: An Unfinished Affair, Streets of Laredo Part II, Face of Evil, Beauty's Revenge and The Babysitter's Seduction. Two contained men being beaten with pool cues: A Family of Cops and Divas. Terminal had a scene with an impalement, a vicious form of violence usually reserved for theatrical films. Gun fights and bullet wounds are more graphic and gory than those found in television series as evidenced by: Hijacked: Flight 285 and Dead Man's Walk Part II. Other examples of intense violence can be found in Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert and Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice, both of which featured people getting their throats slashed, the first with a knife and the second with a straight razor.
In some instances, the entire premise of the television movie is based on an act of violence. A large percentage of the films in this genre are predicated upon some sort of criminally violent activity. The world of some television movies is a world of murderers, psychotics, rapists and abusers. Although violence can be a legitimate and frequently constructive story device when treated responsibly, we occasionally found ourselves asking why this particular violent story was chosen as the subject of a MOW. Some might argue that violent acts such as the Jim Jones' People's Temple massacre in Guyana or the Texas Cheerleader Mom are so inherently fascinating and say so much about our society that they easily justify being made into television movies. However, some of the subjects we saw featured in television movies during the 1995-96 season seemed to have no relevance or significance. They just seemed to be sensationalized stories of criminal acts.
One sometimes gets the impression that the people who make these movies are searching for the most abysmal and sordid crimes that can be found in the depths of the human experience. Seldom do these stories inspire or uplift. They are depressingly detailed accounts of the worst people in society in the worst possible situations. Examples of this include: It Was Him or Us, An Unfinished Affair, Face of Evil, Beauty's Revenge, Deadly Pursuit, The Babysitter's Seduction and A Face to Die For.
A message conveyed by some of the television movies this season is that violence can be used to finally resolve a long term, difficult problem even though the life of the person committing the act is not in immediate danger. This becomes a perverse form of "self-defense" where a character can make up for years or decades of abuse or mistreatment by illegally taking the life of the person who has tormented him or her. The final act of violent resolution not only goes unpunished, it is usually glorified and shown to be not only appropriate but also completely justified.
A good example of this issue can be found in The Deliverance of Elaine (CBS-4/10/96). This television movie stars Academy Award nominee Mare Winningham as the title character and Lloyd Bridges as her overly repressive, mentally abusive father who has been confined to a wheelchair. Elaine has given up her life to be her father's caretaker and has consequently foregone many of life's important experiences, foremost of those being love and a family. When she learns of a dark secret in her father's past, Elaine realizes she has given up her life for a man she hates and chooses to kill her father.
At the end of the television movie, Elaine does kill her father, gets away with the crime and leaves her old life behind to begin a new one. Although the town sheriff knows of Elaine's guilt, he chooses to look the other way and allow her to have the life she never could have had under her father's control. This raises important issues regarding lack of consequences and punishment for what is premeditated murder.
In this story, Elaine suffers no consequences for the killing and is rewarded with a new life. Elaine could have simply left her father rather than killing him. The act of murder is dramatically treated as self-defense even though Elaine's life is not in danger.
The issue in The Deliverance of Elaine is not the depiction of the killing. The scene is very well handled and raises absolutely no concerns by itself. The message of the movie that killing an abusive parent to get on with your life is acceptable is what raises concern.
A large number of made-for-television movies have ominous or threatening titles that imply that the show will be violent, whether or not it actually is. Anyone reading a list of this season's television movies (see appendix) will immediately see that many of the titles are filled with words such as "dangerous," "killer" or "killing," "death," "deadly" and "fatal." This raises an interesting issue about the general philosophy of those who title these movies. It seems they do not believe that they can capture viewers' attention without making the movie sound dangerous. Examples include those movies that raised concerns, and many that did not such as: Her Deadly Rival, Murderous Intent, Inflammable, Deadly Whispers, The Cold Heart of A Killer, Summer of Fear, Bloodlines: Murder in the Family, Terror in the Shadows, Eyes of Terror, Dead by Sunset, Deadly Pursuit, Deadly Web, Voice from the Grave, Terror in the Family and others.
This was one of last season's most interesting issues in television movies. While some films with violent titles were relatively non-violent, two of the most violent television movies of the 1994-95 season had seriously misleading titles promising innocent family fare. Falling for You and Gramps promised content very different from what was delivered. This was a particular problem given the fact that these shows lacked advisories. Had there been advisories, viewers would have learned that the misleadingly titled movies Falling for You and Gramps contained intense acts of violence. Starring likable celebrities Jenny Garth and Andy Griffith and lacking advisories, these stories appear to be about falling in love and a kindly old grandfather.
Happily, an examination of 198 television movies this season found that misleading titles were no longer a problem. While there are still many television movies with violent titles that do not raise concern, this year there were no television movies that did raise concern that had misleading or innocent sounding titles.
This season also witnessed a decline in violent television movies based on action television series. In many instances last season, especially the Walker, Texas Ranger movies, this became an opportunity to "turbocharge" an action show, present it as a special episode and include more scenes of heightened violence. Frequently the hero faced an even more sinister opponent than in the regular television series. This season there were no Walker television movies and two television movies based on the former action series Alien Nation did not raise concerns. This season also saw several television movies based on non-violent television series such as Project: Alf and A Walton Thanksgiving. Not surprisingly, neither movie raised any concerns.
Many television movies proudly fly the banner of "Based on a True Story." They do not mention, however, that many of these movies are, at best, loosely based on true stories. These "true" stories always seem to be about the most shockingly horrific and depraved tales of the atrocities that people commit. Very seldom are these stories of triumph over adversity or heroic deeds. For every inspiring teacher or parent, there are tens of crazed killers, sociopathic personalities or malevolent villains. (The very ugly picture of the world that emerges brings to mind George Gerbner's "mean world" scenario.)
The use of slow motion is obviously not exclusive to television movies. Its use has already been examined in television series. However, slow motion definitely finds its way into the genre of television movies where it raises the same issues as in series. Although directors would argue that it is an artistic device used to make the scene more dramatic, what it often does is just prolong and emphasize the violent act.
This was a technique commonly found in television movies last season and it was still heavily employed this season as well. It Was Him or Us, A Face to Die For, Hijacked: Flight 285, Beauty's Revenge and Terminal all used slow motion and other cinematic techniques that prolonged and accentuated scenes of violence. In A Face To Die For another special effect was used to heighten the violence. When the villain is killed in the movie's climax, the camera shows his body falling through a glass table from four different angles. This technique, combined with slow motion, served both to emphasize and prolong the violence.
While made-for-television movies were only introduced in the 1960s, theatrical films (films first released in movie theaters) have been an important and essential part of programming content since the beginning of television. Most channels could not afford enough original content to fill a 24-hour schedule. Many went off the air around midnight but others filled their schedule with old motion pictures that had been sitting in studio vaults. Until television, motion picture studios had nothing to do with their films once they finished their run at the box office. Only a few films like Gone with the Wind or the Disney animation classics could be re-released every generation or so. Today, a motion picture studio can sell its films to cable, home video, airlines or television. But back in the 1950s television represented a real opportunity for studios to further distribute their products.
Thus, theatrical films became an important part of television.