If the Parents Television Council had it its way, your kids wouldn’t be watching “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” or “Friends.”
That’s because those three shows are on the PTC’s “10 Worst” on broadcast television list, which deplores shows for violence and sexual content that aired during the 2001-2002 season.
Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in the title role, “Buffy” made No. 1 on the “worst” list. In a statement on the PTC Web site, the group said the show was ranked as such because it “airs during the family hour” and “became more graphic in their depictions of violence and sex from last year.”
The nonprofit group also criticized the show “Off Centre,” which has “featured discussions of three-way sex and other gratuitous sexual content, including one character who assisted on the set of a gay porn video”; and “Will & Grace,” which continues to “deluge their young viewing audiences with adult themes including explicit sexual references or adult sexual situations.”
Transversely, the PTC praised the “10 Best” shows on its Web site, which included “Doc” (No. 1), “Touched By An Angel,” “George Lopez” and “The Bernie Mac Show.”
Many new television shows made the PTC’s “best” list, which signals a new trend, PTC President L. Brent Bozell said in the group’s statement.
“Not only did many new shows make our Top Ten Best, the networks saw fit to renew much of this programming for the fall season,” Bozell said. “It appears that the networks are finally starting to listen to the collective voice of parents who want to sit down with their children and enjoy high quality, family-friendly programming in prime time.”