Best/Worst Shows?
Posted October 19th, 2005 by RD Heldenfels
The following comes from the folks at the Parents Television Council, and I pass it on for your information. I'll have a few comments after the release.
The Parents Television Council announced its choices for the Top Ten Best and Worst Shows for family viewing on prime time broadcast television for the 2005-2006 season and found that the top three worst shows for families – The War at Home, The Family Guy, and American Dad – are packaged as family shows.
“We provide this analysis as a guide for parents because it’s very difficult to monitor all the shows that are appropriate for family viewing and those that are not,” said L. Brent Bozell, president of the PTC. “We were alarmed to find that the three worst shows on prime time broadcast television are being marketed as family-friendly when, in fact, these shows are none other than wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
…
This analysis is the PTC’s ninth ranking of the best and worst series on broadcast television from the perspective of family audiences. The lists are ranked based on the content of the program and the appropriateness of the show for children. The criterion for this annual ranking includes not only the frequency of foul language, sexual content and violence but also the time slot, target audience, themes and plotlines of the programs.
The Top Ten Best and Worst Shows for family viewing on prime time broadcast television are:
BEST WORST
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1. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC/8:00 Sunday – Returning show |
1. The War at Home Fox/8:30 Sunday – 1st Season |
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2. Three Wishes NBC/9:00 Friday – 1st season |
2. The Family Guy Fox/9:00 Sunday – Returning show |
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3. American Idol Fox/Returning in spring ’06 |
3. American Dad Fox/9:30 Sunday – Returning show |
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4. The Ghost Whisperer CBS/8:00 Friday – 1st Season |
4. The O.C. Fox/8:00 Thursday – Returning show |
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5. Everybody Hates Chris UPN/8:00 Thursday – 1st Season |
5. C.S.I. (Crime Scene Investigation) CBS/9:00 Thursday – Returning show |
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6. Reba WB/9:00 Friday – Returning show |
6. Desperate Housewives ABC/9:00 Sunday – Returning show |
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7. Bernie Mac Fox/8:00 Friday – Returning show |
7. Two and a Half Men CBS/9:00 Monday – Returning show |
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8. Dancing with the Stars ABC/Returning in spring ‘06 |
8. That ‘70s Show Fox/Returning in November ‘05 |
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9. 7th Heaven WB/8:00 Monday – Returning show |
9. Arrested Development Fox/8:00 Monday – Returning show |
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10. Not available. |
10. Cold Case CBS/8:00 Sunday – Returning show |
Me again: I do have to say that any careful viewer should know by now that Fox's comedies should be considered edgy and targeted at adults unless proven otherwise, and that "Family Guy" has never pretended to be a family show.
Also, it's interesting that PTC could not come up with a 10th best show for families. No love for "Everwood"? "Gilmore Girls"? "Veronica Mars"? "The Amazing Race" — hey, it's having a family edition right now (which one of my colleagues refers to as "the Disney version" of "Amazing Race.")
October 19th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
I happen to really love Veronica Mars, EverwoodGilmore Girls, but I doubt that these folks would find them all that suitable for "family" viewing.
Both VM and Everwood (like The O.C., which made the "bad" list) show teens having sex and doing other sorts of bad things (Bright drinks! Veronica breaks all sorts of laws and ethical rules!), so they are definitely out. GG is a little better as a "family" show, but once Rory slept with a married man, that was that.
These shows don't send the "wholesome" message that is required for this group. But it is sort of shocking that they couldn't come up with a 10th show for the "good" list.
October 20th, 2005 at 8:59 am
I see your point, and thought about some of that before I suggested those shows. But I'd also argue that "GG" and "VM" in particular portray modern family life in ways that could inspire discussion in families.