Posted on 11/14/2014 4:34:44 AM PST by Kaslin
Editor's Note: This column was co-authored by Tim Graham.
While Obama's Federal Communications Commission obsesses over liberal concerns like the under-regulation of the Internet and whether "Redskins" is a profanity, broadcast television is sleazier than ever.
As The Hollywood Reporter recently noted, "Nearly two months into the fall, it's clear that explicit jokes and boundary-pushing storylines are changing the definition of what sexual content is acceptable in primetime."
For example, the Sept. 16 season premiere of the Fox sitcom "New Girl" featured star Zooey Deschanel repeatedly muttering "sex fist" as a motto for five friends all succeeding at casual sex after the last wedding of the summer. "Multiple fisting jokes followed," they reported.
"We got away with murder," executive producer Brett Baer told the Reporter after the premiere. "We've given broadcast standards a run for their money." The real question is whether there are any barriers to sleaze, or merely a ban on saying "Redskins."
Over on Fox's "The Mindy Project," nearly an entire episode focused on star Mindy Kaling and her boyfriend debating whether he "slipped" into anal sex. That led to discussions of sexual positions, including the "necktie," the "ascot" and the "bagpipe."
They also mocked the Catholic Church. The boyfriend said he had no intention of going "back door." When he added, "Even if I think about that ... " she shot back, "They promote you to cardinal?"
That's not to say this smutcom approach works for Fox. Both half-hour shows often come in fourth place, far behind the brand new hour-long CBS drama "NCIS: New Orleans."
But producer Shonda Rhimes is dominating ABC on Thursday nights with a trio of hour-long shows. "Scandal" and the new show "How to Get Away With Murder" are currently the top two network dramas among viewers 18 to 49 (and "Grey's Anatomy" is not far behind).
The Hollywood Reporter noted that "Scandal" opened the season with star Kerry Washington and her boyfriend "in an explicit entanglement on the beach." On Oct. 16, Rhimes brought the sex position "Eiffel Towering" -- a threesome move -- to primetime when the daughter of the President of the United States was "caught on tape performing a lewd sex act that many had to Google."
"I have no intention of changing what's happening on Scandal at 9," Rhimes announced in July. "That will be interesting. I look forward to being censored." Except she hasn't been.
On Oct. 30, ABC rankled the Parents Television Council and many others by airing a "Scandal" sex scene just seconds after the "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Halloween special ended. In the good old days, there were two minutes of commercials between programs. Now they just blur into each other.
At 10 p.m., the Rhymes show "How to Get Away With Murder" has aired almost-weekly gay sex scenes, including one where a character announced after a casual office sex encounter, "He did things to my ass that made my eyes water."
Openly gay executive producer Peter Nowalk told the E! network, "I knew I wanted to push the envelope, especially with the gay sex." It's designed "to right the wrong of all of the straight sex that you see on TV. Because I didn't see that growing up, and I feel like the more people get used to two men kissing, the less weird it will be for people."
The FCC is intentionally irrelevant, and so broadcast TV never stops pushing, pushing, pushing the envelope further into every sexual position and fetish and orientation. They're not trying to protect the children watching Charlie Brown. Tinseltown's libertines want to "educate" the children that every twisted turn of sexuality should be embraced and welcomed.
Nope. It's still degenerate by disordered minds.
I actually don’t watch any of those shows mentioned in the article. I never found them worth watching beyond parts of an episode or two.
The garbage intensifies.
Truly vile. Symptom of the cultural rot that infects about half of America. Glad I don’t have a tv.
If its on an their Gaystapo filth comes on the channel gets changed. They cannot force acceptance.
Just turn the channel. What is filth to some in entertainment to others.
Me neither. I think I may have heard of one of them (the get away with murder) but I've never bothered with a single episode. If this is what they're promoting and congratulating themselves on airing - I'll make it a point to never watch a single episode.
Cooking shows, an occasional murder mystery and old sitcoms for this Gal. Other than that? Books or FR. :)
Haven’t watched a sitcom in several years. Not many broadcast TV dramas either.
About the second episode of that ridiculous show ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ there was a scene of two men/boys mawing each other. Bye Bye.
That show has other issues be that scene sealed it for me.
First time any of them get into ‘gay’, I’m gone. As far as sitcoms it’s pretty much understood ‘gay’ will be part, a large part of the situations.
Not me. There are plenty of other TV shows I can watch.
Decay. Decadence.
“Though it is easy for us to perceive the wild instability of the Roman Imperium in its final days, it was not easy for the Romans.” —Thomas Cahill
“We got away with murder,” executive producer Brett Baer told the Reporter after the premiere. “We’ve given broadcast standards a run for their money.” The real question is whether there are any barriers to sleaze, or merely a ban on saying “Redskins.”
Is this a different Brett Baer than the Fox news guy or is the same one proudly sleazing up the network?
Eiffel Tower?...
I emphasize the health risks of sex with the unclean.
So because prime time, non-cable TV has a lot of straight sleazy sex scenes and nudity, the way to correct it is have gay sex? That's a sad statement and its why TV is going down the toilet. There should be NO sex on prime time TV, period. If you want to show sex, show it on pay cable or in the movies. I'm no prude. I don't mind seeing sex if its not gratuitous and makes sense in a plot. But not on prime time TV. The whole industry keeps sinking further into the filth.
And some people wonder why Duck Dynasty is so popular.
And network executives are still wondering why their shows are losing market share to cooking shows and why most TV shows are only two three year runs, unlike the long-run series of the past?!?
I mean, how stupid or willfully ignorant do you have to be to not see how 2+2= VIEWERS LEAVING?
My wife and I saw the first show of “How To Get Away With Murder”, but haven’t watched it since. We have never seen a single show of any of the other ones. We watch minimal network TV, mostly old sitcoms, old/older movies, read, play board games, walk the park...anything but watch this DRIVEL!!!
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