Parents Television Council Announces Top 10 Best & Worst Shows For Family viewing

Parents Television Council ^ | 8/5/04

[dukeman]

TOP 10 BEST AND WORST NETWORK TV SHOWS FOR FAMILY VIEWING

Each year, the Parents Television Council rates the best and the worst shows on primetime television on the seven major broadcast networks. The PTC Best and Worst list does not examine artistic quality. But it measures series' appropriateness for family audiences from a content perspective. The seven broadcast networks included in this listing are ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PAX, UPN and the WB. Primetime refers to 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET/PT), when the largest television audience is available.

BEST

#1. Joan of Arcadia - CBS 8 p.m. ET/PT Friday – first season. Not only the best new series of the 2003-2004 season, Joan of Arcadia may be one of television's most pro-family shows. Joan Girardi has an unusual relationship with God, who appears to her in many different forms to give her guidance and instruction, thus enabling her to help those around her. Joan is not rewarded for her faith and obedience, but she is allowed to see how her actions touch the lives of those around her.

#2. Doc - PAX 8 p.m. Sunday – #2 last season. Doc is a fish-out-of-water story about a country doctor who moves to New York City and gets a job at a busy HMO. Dr. Clint Cassidy's homespun values and friendly disposition provide a striking contrast to the jaded and impersonal city environment, but he refuses to let the harsh world in which he lives harden him, or make him forget the values of kindness and compassion that were instilled in him as a child. Doc consistently reinforces family-friendly themes such as honesty, compassion, hope, and reconciliation.

#3. Sue Thomas F. B. Eye - PAX 9 p.m. Sunday – #3 last season. This series, from the creators of Doc, tells the inspiring true story of Sue Thomas, a deaf woman originally hired to work in fingerprint analysis at the FBI but soon tapped for work in surveillance because of her talent for reading lips. It is action-filled and suspenseful but never contains graphic or gratuitous violence, inappropriate sexual content, or foul language. Sue Thomas skillfully illustrates, without being mawkish or overly simplistic, the challenges faced by deaf persons working in the hearing world.

#4. Reba - WB 9 p.m. Friday – #7 last season. Country singer Reba McEntire stars as divorced mother Reba Hart. Her marriage ended when her husband Brock got his assistant, Barbara Jean, pregnant and her oldest daughter got pregnant while still in high school. Nevertheless, Reba contains pro-family themes. It is never suggested that Reba and Brock's divorce was easy on the family, and the consequences of the breakup of Reba's marriage and her daughter's unplanned pregnancy are still playing themselves out, but Reba manages to handle these issues responsibly, without resorting to cheap innuendo or foul language.

#5. 7th Heaven - WB 8 p.m. Monday – #4 last season. 7th Heaven has ranked on the Top 10 Best Shows for Families every year since it began in 1996. It also has also been one of the highest-rated shows on the WB network. The series contains no violence or foul language, and sexual content is dealt with very responsibly. That doesn't mean that 7th Heaven steers clear of tough issues. One episode from this season centered on a sister and brother who had been sexually abused by their father. The subject matter was handled sensitively without delving into graphic details of the abuse.

#6. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - ABC 8 p.m. Sunday – first season. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition shows the heights to which reality TV can aspire. This uplifting and inspiring program showcases charity and selflessness. Each week, carpenter Ty Pennington and a crew of designers, contractors, and workmen completely renovate the home of a deserving family.

#7. Everybody Loves Raymond - CBS 9 p.m. Monday –not ranked last season. Ray Barone tries desperately to keep everyone happy. But beneath all the quarrels and arguments, deep-seated love holds the family together. The family isn't always in perfect harmony, but their love for each other is obvious and the laughs abundant in this family sitcom.

#8. American Idol - Fox (air dates and times vary) – not ranked last season. In American Idol: The Search for a Superstar, hundreds of young men and women compete for the opportunity to become America's next singing sensation. A handful of young hopefuls make it to the final stages of the contest where judges Simon Cowell; ‘80s pop star and choreographer Paula Abdul; and music industry veteran Randy Jackson judge their performances and viewers at home decide who will advance and who will be eliminated. American Idol is an entertaining show that the entire family can enjoy because it focuses only on the surprisingly good performances turned in by talented young singers.

#9. American Dreams - NBC 8 p.m. Sunday – not ranked last season. American Dreams is a heartwarming, realistic portrayal of an American family living in 1960s Philadelphia. Against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the civil-rights movement, and American Bandstand, the Pryors find themselves directly affected by the turbulent times while struggling to cope with everyday life. As the characters experience love, loss, and an awakening to social injustice they learn, and in turn relay, some powerful lessons about life.

#10. Bernie Mac - Fox 8:30 p.m. Sunday – not ranked last season. Inspired by series star Bernie Mac's life, The Bernie Mac Show is a half-hour sitcom about a man with unique views on parenting. The Bernie Mac Show is different from many Fox shows in that it actually portrays strong family values. Although the series is occasionally marred by mild profanities and sexual innuendo, the overriding themes stress the importance of family.

WORST

#1. Everwood - WB 9 p.m. Monday – not ranked last season. Everwood gives every appearance of being a family drama, but it's nothing of the kind. What makes Everwood problematic is the careless and irresponsible treatment of sexual issues, especially when the teenaged characters are involved. Such content might be more excusable in a series that was intended for and marketed to adult audiences, but Everwood's reckless messages about sex without consequences are expressly targeted to impressionable teens.

#2. That ‘70s Show - Fox 8 p.m. Wednesday – not ranked last season. Set in a small Wisconsin town during the 1970s, That ‘70s Show follows a group of teens as they learn to deal with parents, sex, and drugs. Teen sex and drug use on this series are depicted as risk- and consequence-free. This season's storylines included Kelso getting a girl pregnant after a one-night stand and Donna walking in on Eric while he is masturbating in her bathroom.

#3. Fear Factor - NBC 8 p.m. Monday – #5 last season. Fear Factor continues to push the envelope with its disgusting and physically dangerous stunts. NBC touts Fear Factor as family-friendly, but it does not depict healthy competition; instead it depicts a new low in Americans' endless pursuit of money. Language continues to worsen, as does sexual innuendo, largely because more and more episodes center on scantily clad female contestants.

#4. Two and a Half Men - CBS 9:30 p.m. Monday – first season. Promiscuous jingle-writer Charlie's life is turned upside down when his divorced brother Alan and young nephew Jake move into his home. Charlie's overpowering libido, unfortunately, trumps any impulse to be a responsible role model to his young nephew. There are constant references to the steady stream of one-night stands parading in and out of Charlie's bedroom.

#5. C.S.I. (Crime Scene Investigation) - CBS 9 p.m. Thursday – #1 last season. C.S.I. takes distasteful story lines a step further by providing graphic depictions of decaying bodies, grisly crime scenes, dissections, flashbacks of brutal rapes and murders, and kinky and bizarre sexual fetishes. Such content would be bad enough at 10:00 p.m., but this series airs at 9:00 (8:00 in the Central and Mountain time zones), with reruns often airing during the Family Hour.

#6. The Surreal Life - WB 9 p.m. Thursday – not ranked last season. Six B-list celebrities share a house for a couple of weeks as cameras film their daily interactions. The executives at the WB made sure there would be plenty of salacious material by casting adult film star Ron Jeremy; former Baywatch babe Traci Bingham; and Real World party girl Trishelle Cannatella. Episodes featured blurred nudity and extreme language. Although The Surreal Life won't be returning to the WB next season, it isn't going away. VH1 picked-up the series.

#7. Girlfriends - UPN 9 p.m. Monday – #7 last season. No subject seems to be off-limits for Girlfriends. Script writers will mine any topic for a cheap laugh, no matter how tacky. One episode last season, for example, had Joan telling her boyfriend she had a yeast infection to get out of having sex with him. In another, Joan's friend Sharon recommends classes at “Mama Gina's School of Womanly Arts,” saying, “Oh Joan, those classes are wonderful. I highly recommend ‘Owning your Orgasm.' And it's a prerequisite for ‘Finding Your Vagina.'”

#8. Las Vegas - NBC 9 p.m. Monday – first season. What can you expect from a show about Sin City, but sex, sex, and more sex? Las Vegas, a new drama about the staff of an upscale casino, delivers just that along with plenty of foul language and a little violence thrown in for good measure. This series has used every cheap sexual gimmick imaginable in a desperate attempt to lure viewers. Strong sexual innuendo can be found in just about every episode.

#9. Will & Grace - NBC 9 p.m. Thursday – #8 last season. Will and Grace began as a sitcom about the friendship between a gay man and his best friend, a quirky straight woman. Over the last few seasons its focus has changed, opening the door for even higher levels of crude innuendo and graphic anatomical references, both hetero- and homosexual, all of which is especially inappropriate given that episodes of Will & Grace often air during the Family Hour. Infidelity remains a common storyline. This show continues to rely on indecency as a source of edginess.

#10. Cold Case - CBS 8p.m. Sunday – first season. Cold Case is a drama about a Philadelphia police detective who delves into old murder cases with a fresh eye. Stories are often told in flashback, recounting graphic murders and other violent crimes. Disturbing plots included a case in which a nun accidentally kills an orphan and buries him anonymously in a field; an adult man who has his son bring young teenaged girls to the house so the father can rape them; and teenaged boys at a military school who murder the coach who molested them.

[TheBigB]

"No sprinkles...I said NO SPRINKLES!! For every sprinkle I find, I shall KILL YOU!!!"

[Xenalyte]

Okay, that's just a WAY cool early courtship idea.

My first date with Xena's Guy was an all-nighter. We sat down in my living room with a bottle of wine around 8:30 on Friday to decide what we wanted to do that evening, and the next thing we knew the bottle was empty, the sun was coming up, and we were hoarse from the All-Night First Date Discussion.

Are you talking about the comic series that included the Man-Eating Cow?

[Xenalyte]

Do you have the DVDs?

They have a commentary track that would be cheap at twice the price.

In the episode in which Peter commits welfare fraud, on the commentary track the cast members are talking about various bits, and they get to the part where the mail lady delivers the Griffins' welfare check while Lois is tending the moat. The mail lady says, "Here's your welfare check," and Lois says, "What the f-" and is cut off by the airhorn on Peter's new boat.

The other cast members spent considerable time coaxing Alex Borstein to get Lois to utter the F word, and their hard work paid off . . . you can hear Lois swear all OVER the place on that track.

Plus, any show that has gratuitous Adam West is okay by me.

[discostu]

Man eating cows in the trap pit of Chairface Chippendale. Later they got big into the ninja thing (which continues to be a great plot line whenever Ben gets around to writing new issues), and the introduction of Paul The Samurai. And Clark, the guy that's obviously supposed to be Superman and hates all these stupid heroes in The City.

That's a great first date, relationships that start in the living room are generally better than ones that start in a restaurant.

"You're not a tick, ticks suck blood, you don't suck blood!"
"I got a straw pal, want a demonstration"
...
"I don't know why I got woozy and passed out"
"Probably because you've been breathing through a straw for the last 6 panels."

[Mad Dawgg]

"The black humor is great. It makes me think of the John LaRoquette show way back when. Leary is really in his element on that show."

Oh man the John LaRoquette show was great! Someone should have a series with LaRoquette and Leary together.

The dripping sarcasm would be waist deep by the first commercial break!

[ShadowDancer]

7th Heaven is the best show on the air for families, hands down.

[discostu]

Here, for anybody that didn't know already:
http://www.newenglandcomics.com/

That's where the Tick lives, any Tick product commercially available can be gotten there.

[Paulus Invictus]

They left out Elimidate and other such sex-laden drivel. There's a new one called Dog House where they ask the females to wear revealing bikinis, the men contestants look like weirdos and then they dunk everyone in a tank of water. Ghastly!

[ShadowDancer]

They expose kids to objectionable issues and content.

In what way?

[Saundra Duffy]

This is strange. I never watch TV on those NBC CBS ABC non cable channels but last night I was watching Drew Carey and he and his sidekick were trying to get their mothers to get screwed. It was sick. Back to cable - FOX News, etc.

[angcat]

I love Raymond but i did have to explain what a lesbian was to my nine year old during one episode.

[tacticalogic]

Well, I am already in my pajamas.

[ThinkDifferent]

"Hush" is a masterpiece of TV drama. You should watch it ASAP!

Hush is indeed outstanding, but I'd still recommend watching them in sequence.

It amazed us after watching season 6 that it was possibly the worst season.

I'd have to agree. It had some good episodes, like the one where Buffy thought she was locked up in a mental hospital, and I liked the finale with Darth Willow, but for the most part the season didn't really go anywhere.

We tend to not like either Angel or Cordelia very much.

Both of them are much better in the Angel spinoff. They get actual personalities instead of their "brooding hero" and "airhead valley girl" stereotypes.

[Osage Orange]

I must be way out of touch...because out of those I've only viewed three out of the twenty shows...And one of those..I've only watched twice.

Most of them I've never even heard of.....LOL!!

FRegards,

[hattend]

I think you're supposed to put a comma (or a rest) between "Stargate" and "SG-1". Stargate is the name of the franchise. The series actually was supposed to be the sequel to the movie. SG-1 is the team lead by Col Jack O'Neal.

If you notice the opening credit with the title, "Stargate" is the header with a line under it and then SG-1 appears below the line

[edwin hubble]

Re: Joan of Arcadia...

God appears as every imaginable character. My favorite is the 6 year old girl.

Joan's relationships are presented well. She has deep and mature affection for Adam, (without any physical contact).
The scene I liked was where he comes by late at night (its raining out) and she is sitting in kitchen.

"Well, do you want me to like her?", Joan asks referring to Adam's girlfriend.
(long silence)
"No......(long silence)... I want you to like Me."
(long silence... rain...)
"Adam, I don't just Like you..."
He leaves. Camera pulls back and the tears on her face are superimposed by the rain on the windowpane. - beautifully done.

Her brother, the scientist, is well portrayed. The amazing things he says are well written, actually, from a science point of view.


The season ends with despair and the dark night of the soul. The Silence. The God character who first appeared to her comes back and hovers over her sick bed. (season ending).

[TheBigB]

I don't own them, but I've rented them. Stewie is one of the best TV characters ever! :)

[dukeman]

I hadn't heard of several of the shows as well.

[dukeman]

lesbian explanation

Oh, geez! You've reminded me of an incident involving my daughter when she was about 6-years old. My wife and I took her to a PG movie and about 15 minutes into the show a twenty-something famale character told her mother that she was a lesbian.

My wife and I sat tensely for a minute or two hoping our daughter wouldn't ask us about the "new word." Well, she finally asked my wife who learned over and whispered, "It's a girl who likes other girls more than boys."

That seemed to handle the situation until we heard from her Sunday school teachers, a kindly older couple (he's actually a cool retired Green Beret captain), that she was telling the other kids she was going to be a lesbian when she grew up! Needless to say, we had another talk.

[biblewonk]

The Willow-has-a-crush-on-Xander thing was very much a component of the first two seasons. Then she met Oz (which is a character I don't think you've mentioned yet and was WONDERFULLY played by Seth Green), who was her boyfriend for a bit, then he left for her safety. Oz found out he was a werewolf. :) I hope I'm not spoiling these episodes...I'm just filling in some info for ya.

Yes we have seen Seth. We are in the middle of the 3rd season. Seth is really cool. His lines are very carefully crafted to keep him both cool and intellectual. We like the line in the 6th season where Xandor says "I almost saw you make an expression" and Seth said "I felt one coming on, I won't lie".

Cordy's character can be summed up in one line she said to Giles, after he accused her of being tactless. "Tact is just not saying true stuff. I'll pass." :)

Is it possible that Anya said that. She took the lack of tact thing to a whole new level. I bet it was Anya.

We just saw the ep last night where Willow accidently brings vampire Willow into this reality. We had to pause the TV for laughter there were so many funny lines. At the very end they sent evil Willow back and 2 seconds later she backs into a stake. She looks down and mouths the word "Ffff" and disappears. It was great. Ofcourse you can't help but kind of like evil Willow. Nice willow said "I think she's kinda gay". Angel started to explain something about how your vampire self is not different just less inhibited and then he just said nevermind. An early hint at her lezbo-ness. I'm sure it was planned from the beginning.