Detroit Free Press column on today's television shows
March 21, 2005
Look at Detroit Free Press television columnist Mike Duffy's list of 12 family-friendly tv shows. It's linked to his column on the struggles faced by parents trying to put boundaries on their kid's media habits.
His column points to one family in Rochester Hills, MI where the 15-year-old daughter likes to watch Law and Order SVU. Ever watched that? It's a constant barrage of violent sexual crime. My wife and I watched three segments, back-to-back, on cable and we both felt like we need to wash our hearts out with soap after watching.
The family that Duffy points to seems to be engaged in their kids' viewing habits in a pretty positive way.
But what distrubs me...
...is the list of family-friendly shows that he provides. Check out Everwood. The featured dad in the show, played by Treat Williams, points to the "positive and fulfilling" side of his affair with a married patient. Huh? That's family-friendly?
Same with Joan of Arcadia. The teenage kids in Joan's family are left to themselves in deciding on their values. It's all relative within certain broad boundaries. Come on.
I'm surprised that Mike Duffy doesn't have CSI on his list of approved shows. How about NCIS? Check out all the body parts, along with the blood, guts and gore.
The time is coming to take cable out.