Right Wing Prudes Offer List of "Worst On TV." How Come Those are My Favorite Shows?

Why is it that when right wingers don't like a television or radio show, they can't just turn the channel to something else? I am soooo tired of the right deciding that their so-called family values trump the rest of America's First Amendment rights. The Parents Television Council (a Christian right organization) has made their list of the worst shows on television. There were eight people that made these decisions. Do you know those eight? Do they reflect America? I think not. Some of the shows mentioned in the following article I have never seen. But, how can C.S.I. be an "offensive" show. They are solving crimes. The bad guys get caught and go to jail. It's a law enforcement show! Maybe they heard some producer of the show donated money to Bill Clinton back in the 90s. That, of course, is the biggest sin to these right-wing pressure groups: not being an Evangelical Republican!

When it really is a boob tube
By MARISA GUTHRIE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, October 19th, 2005

"Desperate Housewives" and "CSI" may be the most popular shows on television, but the smut patrol is warning parents to keep the kids away.
The Parents Television Council yesterday released its annual list of the 10 best and worst shows for family viewing.

Fox earned the distinction of having six of the shows on the "worst" list, with the new comedy "The War at Home" winning the top spot for being "one of the most mindless and unapologetically vulgar shows on television," according to PTC Research Director Melissa Caldwell.

The PTC could find only nine shows for its top-10 best list, and four of them are unscripted series: ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Dancing with the Stars," Fox's "American Idol" and NBC's "Three Wishes."

"Part of our reason for putting this list out is to shame the networks," said Caldwell.

The networks, however, weren't biting. ABC, Fox and CBS - which in addition to "CSI" also saw "Two and a Half Men" and "Cold Case" make the list - all declined comment.

But NBC was "happy to be honored by a group that is endorsing good television," said network spokeswoman Deborah Thomas, referring to the group's kudos for "Three Wishes," the network's new unscripted series starring Christian singer Amy Grant.

Besides "The War at Home," Fox's animated series "Family Guy" and "American Dad" rounded out the top-three worst shows.

"Family Guy," said Caldwell, includes jokes about necrophilia and multiple jokes about masturbation.

CBS' "CSI" and ABC's "Desperate Housewives," the No. 1 and No. 2 most-watched shows overall, were slammed for content issues.

"'CSI,' perhaps more than any other show that I can think of on television right now, has really gotten into the kinky sexual fetishes to drive the story lines," said Caldwell. (Dark Stuff note: How could a show be bad when it stars a woman as beautiful as Marg Helgenberger? I mean, really!)

"Desperate Housewives" earned its spot on the list due to sexual content, specifically story lines about Gabrielle's relationship with her teenage gardener and Rex's S&M fetish. But the PTC judges also frowned on Bree's role in covering up her son's hit-and-run murder of Gabrielle's mother-in-law.

In the past, the networks often have questioned the PTC's research methodology.

The organization analyzes data from Nielsen Media Research to determine whether children are watching a specific show, regardless of whether that show is targeted at them.

But the subjective content decisions are arrived at by a jury of about seven or eight PTC staff members, said Caldwell.