Rating System Made Television More Adult
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Several years ago the television industry, under pressure, decided the best way to deal with the concerns certain groups had with television programming was to implement a ratings system.
The U.S. government was going to implement their own ratings system if the television industry didn't, but the television industry stepped in and said they would do it themselves to avoid the interference.
Now, depending on which network or Cable Channel one watches, television shows have ratings like Y7, Y14, M, PG, A, etc. And which television show gets which rating depends mostly on what an individual at the network thinks it deserves. A show that gets a Y14 (not intended for anyone under 14) on one network might get an M (for mature) on another.
Certain networks add additional letters to clarify their ratings. There's V for violence, S for sexual situations, L for language and a couple others I haven't been able to decipher yet.
It's all in the name of trying to help parents control what their children watch. The fact is, though, if parents really controlled what their children watched, there wouldn't be a need for a television industry-issued ratings system. But that's not the point I want to make.
My point is this -Ênow that there is a ratings system, television shows are become less "family-friendly" and more adult -Êthe opposite of what parents and the government wanted.
The shows don't bother me, I don't have children to worry about and I know I'm not going to act out anything I see on television. The parents, if they know now what television shows get away with since the ratings system was implemented, may want to be worried. That's if they are concerned about what their children watch.
On the latest episode of "Chicago Hope," Mark Harmon's character said the four-letter "sh" word. On network television! While you won't die and go to hell for using the word, it's one of those words that has never been uttered on network television before.
On "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," and my favorite new show, "Wasteland," viewers can catch some rear nudity and once in a while, even more. (Note: That's not why I like "Wasteland" though.) Why not show nudity? They have an "N" on their rating for nudity. If you watch the show, and see the N, you have the option to turn it off. Isn't that what the ratings are supposed to let viewers do?
Then there's the half-hour comedy-drama network show "Action," which discusses sex like some people talk about the weather.
Other shows, like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," have a "V" on their ratings. I wouldn't say that it's grotesque violence - it comes close sometimes -Êbut the shows are Y14.
All of this goes to show one thing. The more government interferes with issues they have no business interfering with, the worse they make it.
Of course, before the television industry began its ratings system, I knew what it would bring. Just look at the movie industry.
An action movie with guts and blood galore may get a PG-13 while another action movie with similar guts and blood gets an R.
A "love story" movie with nudity may get a PG-13, while a B-movie with similar nudity gets an R'. Sometimes vice-versa.
Who's in the movie, who directed the movie and which studio financed the movie also will influence the rating the movie receives. A Bruce Willis action movie will get an R, while a Will Smith action movie gets a PG-13.
If there's no consistency with the movie ratings, why would anyone expect consistency with the television industry? It all depends on a person's or panel's notions of what is acceptable and what is different, and since we aren't all clones yet, acceptability is in the eyes of the beholder.
I'm sure there are some people who like the new ratings system. It allows them to "know" what the content of a show is before the opening credits begin.
But a V for violence won't tell you if it's just a fist fight between a cop and robber or if it's a ninja ripping the heart out of his unsuspecting victim. And an S for sexual situations doesn't say if the sex is just a passionate kiss or the actual portrayal of two people making love.
Sooner or later, there will be complete nudity, profanity and violence on television and the television industry will be able to say, "Well, we rated it MNPV. What else do you want us to do?"
Then someone will say, "I remember when, before ratings, you couldn't even say the 'sh' word. Those were the days."
Whatever.
My advice: Get a V-chip. [[In-content Ad]]
Several years ago the television industry, under pressure, decided the best way to deal with the concerns certain groups had with television programming was to implement a ratings system.
The U.S. government was going to implement their own ratings system if the television industry didn't, but the television industry stepped in and said they would do it themselves to avoid the interference.
Now, depending on which network or Cable Channel one watches, television shows have ratings like Y7, Y14, M, PG, A, etc. And which television show gets which rating depends mostly on what an individual at the network thinks it deserves. A show that gets a Y14 (not intended for anyone under 14) on one network might get an M (for mature) on another.
Certain networks add additional letters to clarify their ratings. There's V for violence, S for sexual situations, L for language and a couple others I haven't been able to decipher yet.
It's all in the name of trying to help parents control what their children watch. The fact is, though, if parents really controlled what their children watched, there wouldn't be a need for a television industry-issued ratings system. But that's not the point I want to make.
My point is this -Ênow that there is a ratings system, television shows are become less "family-friendly" and more adult -Êthe opposite of what parents and the government wanted.
The shows don't bother me, I don't have children to worry about and I know I'm not going to act out anything I see on television. The parents, if they know now what television shows get away with since the ratings system was implemented, may want to be worried. That's if they are concerned about what their children watch.
On the latest episode of "Chicago Hope," Mark Harmon's character said the four-letter "sh" word. On network television! While you won't die and go to hell for using the word, it's one of those words that has never been uttered on network television before.
On "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," and my favorite new show, "Wasteland," viewers can catch some rear nudity and once in a while, even more. (Note: That's not why I like "Wasteland" though.) Why not show nudity? They have an "N" on their rating for nudity. If you watch the show, and see the N, you have the option to turn it off. Isn't that what the ratings are supposed to let viewers do?
Then there's the half-hour comedy-drama network show "Action," which discusses sex like some people talk about the weather.
Other shows, like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," have a "V" on their ratings. I wouldn't say that it's grotesque violence - it comes close sometimes -Êbut the shows are Y14.
All of this goes to show one thing. The more government interferes with issues they have no business interfering with, the worse they make it.
Of course, before the television industry began its ratings system, I knew what it would bring. Just look at the movie industry.
An action movie with guts and blood galore may get a PG-13 while another action movie with similar guts and blood gets an R.
A "love story" movie with nudity may get a PG-13, while a B-movie with similar nudity gets an R'. Sometimes vice-versa.
Who's in the movie, who directed the movie and which studio financed the movie also will influence the rating the movie receives. A Bruce Willis action movie will get an R, while a Will Smith action movie gets a PG-13.
If there's no consistency with the movie ratings, why would anyone expect consistency with the television industry? It all depends on a person's or panel's notions of what is acceptable and what is different, and since we aren't all clones yet, acceptability is in the eyes of the beholder.
I'm sure there are some people who like the new ratings system. It allows them to "know" what the content of a show is before the opening credits begin.
But a V for violence won't tell you if it's just a fist fight between a cop and robber or if it's a ninja ripping the heart out of his unsuspecting victim. And an S for sexual situations doesn't say if the sex is just a passionate kiss or the actual portrayal of two people making love.
Sooner or later, there will be complete nudity, profanity and violence on television and the television industry will be able to say, "Well, we rated it MNPV. What else do you want us to do?"
Then someone will say, "I remember when, before ratings, you couldn't even say the 'sh' word. Those were the days."
Whatever.
My advice: Get a V-chip. [[In-content Ad]]