i won't be waching 'Scandal' on ABC

4/9/12 | originalbuckeye

[raybbr]

Reminds me of the show "Numb3rs". I actually like it till Judd Hirsch's character declared, "I am so glad I raised two liberal sons!"

Never watched it again after that. It was early in season one.

[jersey117]

Not only propaganda. Have you noticed that on just about every show the black guy is the boss? Commercials too.

[Sir_Humphrey]

It should be obvious to anybody watching network TV that the writers all are left wing. Their personal views should not be important but ever since the Norman Lear days they all feel they HAVE to have the scripts propagandize some left wing point and the HAVE to show any traditional conservative as stupid or naive. It's not that hard to do when you:

A. Create the "reality" that supports their left wing views.

B. Be fawned over by the "critics" while they toss around terms such as "genius" and "groundbreaking"

C. Get promoted incessantly in non political programs such as the NFL.

Best of all, if the program is truly awful, another writer will get another chance to make the same inane left wing arguments with a different show. Conservatives need not apply.

The networks should be boycotted and put out of their existence because they never will change.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I also tuned into Castle last night and turned the channel when I saw what was on.

[aimhigh]

When the soldier turned out to be gay, I was reassured that ABC was not veering from their all gay, all the time formula.

That's why it's called gAyBC.

[Rybashka]

Sorry that I missed your warning. On my deathbed, I truly will be wishing that I had that hour back.

[stilloftyhenight]

The gratuitous inserts are what I’m talking about. Some go out of their way to inject it when it is totally unnecessary to the story line. That they do on purpose. The characters will be interacting and suddenly there is a few lines of dialogue on race or homosexuality which actually distracts from the story. It simply doesn’t belong. It’s so blatant.

[Vanders9]

Well, that kind of thing deflects criticism from the gay and anti-racist lobbies, which are extremely powerful.

[Vanders9]

Everybody blames the writers, but they have by far the least say over what goes into Network TV programs. We as viewers have more of a say, because if we don't watch it, the advertisers won't support it and the networks won't make it.

But the people who are really in charge are the producers and network executives. They determine what goes in and what doesn't, in line with what they think they can get away with re advertisers and viewers. If a writer develops storylines or dialogue that is deemed "inappropriate", it just won't be included. If the writer does it too often, or objects, they get fired. Simple as that. After all, it's not as if there is a shortage of replacements. Writers are ten a penny and they work very cheaply.

I sometimes think writers are called that because they are 'right' at the bottom of the hollywood/audiovisual industry pecking order. It's illogical, as without writers the TV and Film companies literally have no product (as the strike a bit ago proved quite convincingly) but there you have it. Writers are effectively working to order. They can make tat as required by network executives, in which case they can eke out a meagre living, or they can produce realistic, fair minded, even-handed dialogue and storylines that really does challenge existing prejudices, in which case they will starve.

All of which begs another question. Where's your freedom of speech now?

[Sir_Humphrey]

All of which begs another question. Where's your freedom of speech now?

I am not quite sure how that relates to my post.

Besides I think you got too hung up on the word "writer". You may be quite right about the inner workings of TV writing but somebody, either a writer, executive or producer is deciding to work in left wing talking points and conservative straw men into their scripts . You are seeing viewers flee the networks in droves partly because they are tired at all the heavy handed left wing clap trap that makes its way into damn near every show.