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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Conservative watchdogs at the Parents Television Council now have scientific proof: Sabrina is better for your kids than Buffy! And "Doc," starring Billy Ray Cyrus, is the best show on TV.
Aug 29, 2002 | In 1987, a group of "determined young conservatives" founded the Media Research Center with the intention of proving, "with sound scientific research," that "liberal bias in the media does exist and undermines traditional American values."
With this aim in mind, the group's founder and president, L. Brent Bozell III, developed the News Tracking System (NTS), "a custom-designed computer database and archiving system that today provides the conservative movement's now thriving media personalities and the public alike, with the evidence necessary to confront the liberal media."
The MRC backs and shares a president with the Parents Television Council, a group founded in 1995 that aims to bring "positive, family-oriented television programming" back to the small screen. The PTC calls itself "a non-partisan, non-profit, grassroots organization" with no particular religious affiliation. ("We have Sen. Joe Lieberman on our board!" says Lara Mahaney, the group's director of external affairs.) Last week, it released its annual Top 10 best and worst network TV shows.
And what a brave, new and incredibly dull alternative TV universe it is.
Topping the "worst" list was UPN's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," followed by such other shows as "Will & Grace," "CSI" and "Boston Public." The PTC's dream prime-time lineup? The humble Pax drama "Doc" won top honors, followed by "Touched by an Angel," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "7th Heaven," "Baby Bob," "Smallville," "Reba," "The Ponderosa," "George Lopez" and "Bernie Mac."
It might seem at first glance that the PTC has gone out of its way to avoid putting anything even remotely watchable on its 10-best list. But things aren't quite that simple. "Bernie Mac" is indeed a fine show, though "unfortunately," as the PTC's Web site laments, "episodes frequently feature offensive language such as 'ass' and 'damn' and some sexual innuendo." I, too, could live without "CSI," "Off Centre" and WWE's "Smackdown!" But praise for the "best" shows seems to rely heavily on the word "inoffensive" -- not a term I would use to describe "Baby Bob." And angels, ministers, large families and small-town people in cowboy boots who like to go around imparting solid moral foundations do seem especially well represented.
But maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Maybe it's not so much an urban vs. rural, Christian vs. heathen thing, or a nuclear family vs. promiscuous single mother thing, as it is an attitude thing. For example, while "Buffy" gets a thumbs down for "its graphic violence and sex, often mixing the two with an underlying occultist element," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" gets a big thumbs up for focusing "on the daily struggles of a cheerful teenager who just happens to be a witch." (Italics mine.) "Sabrina" was also lauded for emphasizing "the importance of fulfilling one's academic potential, loyalty in friendship, social responsibility and 'clean fun' as being the most fun." Judging from what I saw of "Doc," I'd say that last point is arguable.
According to Bozell, the PTC's lists prove beyond all doubt that "the networks have a long way to go before parents can be assured that their children will not be bombarded with filth during prime-time."
How exactly does the PTC do it? With the help of the "custom-designed Entertainment Tracking System (ETS) ... the only database of its kind in the world," which the PTC "uses to produce unique research and publications focusing on a variety of topics relating to the content of prime-time television." Thanks to the ETS, it has been conclusively scientifically proven that "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" is better for your kids than "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
