Controversial Incidents with International TV Shows and My Recommended Solutions To Them

Introduction

Television programs, also called television shows, are part of the content for broadcasting on television. It may be a one-off production or part of a series that is repeated periodically. One program in a series is called an episode. A television series consisting of a limited number of episodes is usually called a mini-series or series. Series without fixed lengths are usually divided into new episodes on a season or series, annual or half-year basis. The television films are not theaters or direct-to-video releases but are first televised films, although many successful television films are later released on DVD. The programs can be recorded in video tape or other various electronic media forms or considered live television.

It has different types of program and non-program material broadcast on television and unique text features, topics, functions, audience, text reader relationships and participation modes. Such genres provide an interpretative reference frames that affect viewers' expectations in particular. They can be realistic genres, novels, or a mixture of these styles. The most widely known programs include TV news, TV documentaries or features / factual television, talk shows, children’s programs, talent hunt show, reality TV, religious programs, soap operas, TV drama, comedy, sports, music TV. Many television genres were inherited from the radio.

As long as there has been television for almost a long time, there has been controversy over various TV shows. Sometimes, the network's most popular series will broadcast particularly shocking episodes. At other times, the whole series will arouse anger over their premise. As time has gone on, anger over sex, violence and other hot topics has changed according to cultural norms. But there are always a few topics to headline and so will the programs that deal with them. For more than a decade, viewers have been gripped by screen dramas offered by TV series and reality TV shows. But sometimes, the drama follows on-screen shows, and real-life arguments cause the show to be canceled.

Television programs that has controversial issues

“The X-Files” Season 4, Episode 2: “Home”

This television series is about FBI agents Mulder and Scully being called to a small, idyllic rural society where time seems to be at a standstill to investigate the discovery of the body of an extremely congenital deformed baby. Their investigation leads them to the family of inbred, who live in unimaginable depravity and turn murderous when modern man power invades their squalid, incestuous existence.

The reason why the series was aired is because the first 'X-File' episode in history was aired with viewers' discretion messages at the top, and Glenn Morgan and James Wong's show comeback 'Home' was the only episode not to be re-run on Fox Home Network. Violence is usually cited as the reason that for fatal beatings, a decapitation, an impaling, a home childbirth sequence and many shootings which really gruesome and bizarre way in which violence is portrayed. It is so upsetting and also quite brilliantly achieved. The mountaineer-style inbred family are part of the partial leather-face, some Frankenstein's monster in conception, and episodes use ironic sound track counterpoint which is very effectively which is a cover of Johnny Mathis’ 'Wonderful, Wonderful' that is covering the play against the brutal double murder. The bookending of the show with the live burial of a mutant baby and the discovery of its quadruple amputee mother that loosely based on an anecdote related by Charlie Chaplin is pretty stomach-churning stuff even now.

Solution

From broadcasters’ perspective, I want to propose to take out the violence scenes such as fata beatings, decapitation, impaling and many shootings or change to the scenes which are not violence at all so that the children can watch together with their parents in science fiction drama TV series. The reason why is because that these kind of violence scenes can encourage those youngsters to learn aggressive behavior and attitudes. It also can cultivate fearful or pessimistic attitudes in children about the non-television world and desensitize them to real-world and fantasy violence. Heavy exposure of violence is the causes of aggressive behavior, crime and violence in society. the evidence comes from both the laboratory and real-life studies. Television violence affects not only youngsters, also all of ages, both genders, all socio-economic levels and all levels of intelligence. Therefore, broadcaster must be limited the violence scenes on the right track to increase television ratings system so that children won’t turn to negative with aggressive behavior and attitude. And they also need to offer suggestions for parental guidance and mediation of children’s viewing of TV programs.

“Married With Children” Season 3, Episode 10 “I’ll See You In Court”

The television series is about a deplorable couple Al and Peggy Bundy, along with the neighbors Steve and Marcy, decide to sue the local motel for invasion of privacy after the two were found recording sex without their knowledge. Of course, all this turn into a series of ritual humiliation for both AI and Peggy. Their tape turned out to be long and technically incapable of sexual intercourse for a few seconds. Steve and Marcy, on the other hand, continue for hours.

The reason why this series was aired is because the show's gross-out crude humor of production often showed confrontation with network Fox, but only one other episode was actually pulled, and the 'A Period Piece,' which later changed its name subsequently to 'The Camping Show,' was pushed back by a month while producers wrangled with network excess over. It's a menstrual plot, but 'I’ll See You In Court' remained unaired in the United States for 13 years after it was recorded. Ironically, the show's syndication was so widespread that it was actually shown first in various foreign regions. It said sex and sexual language were the reasons that not aired, but to be honest, it seems to be tremendously tame now, not only compared to what we can have on TV these days, but also compared to other episodes of the same program that passed more or less without remarks. In fact, previous complaints and a boycott of advertisers, or at least calls to examine the episodes more thoroughly, are likely to have been the main cause of the series 'See You in the Courts' running afoul of the censors, rather than its unusually lewd remarks and actions in this episode.

Solution

From broadcaster’s perspective, I want to apologize to the audiences who watch this television series frequently through social media forms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Homepage website and many more. And also promise with the audiences that there wouldn’t be any sex or sexual language because those scenes that include sex and sexual language in television sitcom is not appropriate. TV sitcom is situation comedy which is type of comedy TV show, where the characters, the setting and the environment pretty much remain same. It should contain full of funny and witty contents without including any sex and sexual language. As children grow and develop, they can be easily influenced by what they see and hear, especially on television. At the first development stage of the children’s brain is the most fragile.

TV program can be educational but the television series such as mentioned above is not good for them because youngsters emotionally misunderstand and doing poor decision-making by watching it. It also can easily influence their mind or corrupt their thought that cause confusion and cannot control themselves. As a result, sex and sexual language should be restricted by applying censorship to particular PG18+ contents. It would be better for society as well. It also needs to censor this inappropriate content so that it can turn to better and improve one. If these two issues are restricted, won’t see and hear any sex or sexual language on TV program.

“Hannibal” Season 1, Episode 4: “Oeuf”

This television series is about Will brought criminals from a series of family murders to profile, and when he discovered that each family endured kidnapping of one of their sons, he deduced that the killers were actually a group of stolen children, and was forced to execute their 'old' families to show loyalty to their 'new.' Hannibal, meanwhile, makes her own family unit by withdrawing Abigail out of the hospital, feeding her magic mushrooms and having dinner with her and Alana.

The reason why this TV series was aired because in an unusual move, it also represents a new approach to banning or pulling, NBC didn't air 'Oeuf” and instead chose to make the series available through the digital platform for viewers who wanted to watch it, given all possible forewarning about its potentially upsetting content. But while the episode was recorded before the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and they often cited as one of the reasons why this TV series was removed, it is actually set to air on April 25, four months after the tragedy. And despite producer Brian Fuller himself saying it wasn't that fact, and saying the decision was made few hours before the broadcast and was not triggered by any single incident, the Boston Marathon bomb is being given as a reason for NBC to pull the plug.

In fact, since 'Hannibal' is not a show that deals with bizarre and ritual killings so often that they fear treading on psychologically unsettling waters, it seems almost inevitable in retrospect, considering the surprising regularity that happen.

Solution

From broadcaster’s perspective, I want to change the scene that asking children to kill their parent to appropriate scene that children including that all ages can watch because some of people including youngsters might have feeble heart that cannot watch the similar scenes that mentioned above. This scene can show children violent behavior that they should not imitate or that can cause fear. Due to that, children might face poor eating habit, reduce focus in reading and studying, slow down learning activities and demotivate them to play and exercise.

In conclusion, broadcaster should give guidance to children’s parent so that can reduce those negative effects affecting to the children by viewing scene that asking children to kill their parent. One of the guidance is to watch television series together with children. Parent should talk about what happened on the show, talk about what was good or bad about the program and talk about the difference between reality and make-believe to the children. Lastly, another guidance is to turn the television off if the program is something that believe the children should not see.

“I Love Lucy” Season 6, Episode 9 “The Ricardos Visit Cuba”

This television series is about Lucy, Ricky, little Ricky, Fred and Ethel all go on a trip to Cuba. Lucy pays attention to impress Ricky's influential uncle Alberto, but she manages to get by with everything, including ruining his straw hat, insulting him in clumsy Spanish, spilling wine on his suit and destroying his handmade cigars. As always, her attempts to make things better will only make everything worse. Until little Ricky saves the day by playing so well on stage adorably alongside his father, Alberto admits that any woman who is the mother of such a boy should be fine in his book.

The reason why this TV series was aired because in contrast to several other entries on this list, this culture clash episode wasn’t pulled due to the complaints from people of foreign culture being portrayed. In fairness, Cuba comes in for no particularly derogatory treatment save possibly how obsessed everyone there is with their cigars but because actual international events made the cheery, wacky tone of it inappropriate. First airing in December 1956, by the early ‘60s U.S. relations with Cuba had deteriorated to the degree that the episode was pulled from regular rotation, and wasn’t aired again until 1967. There are a couple of potentially political, if hardly incendiary, lines, like Lucy suggesting that her social ineptitude could spark another Spanish or American war, but overall it’s pretty much the definition of quaint and harmless, more likely now to cause offense because of its archaic presentation of gender relationships than politics. And even at the time, it wasn’t pulled for inflammatory content that if anything just the opposite, with the beloved Ricardos’ fond ties to the country leaving potentially a sour taste for with a nation on the brink of war with Cuba.

Solution

From broadcaster’s perspective, I would cut off wrong information about another country’s culture and put right information about it to avoid culture clash in television sitcom. Cultures do not evolve identically. Even ones with similar backgrounds and languages have something they disagree about, and it just gets worse the more alien the two cultures are. If TV program portrays other country’s culture portray wrongly, it will bring bad political relationship between two countries which is culture clash. Naturally, this has great potential for writers who want to introduce conflict to the plot, or just want to show off their worldbuilding skill. Overall, TV series should be humble and open to another country’s culture so that there wouldn’t be culture clash between two countries anymore.

“South Park” Season 14, Episodes 5 & 6: “200” / “201”

This television series is about children find Tom Cruise working in a candy factory when they are on a field trip. Stan sparks a new Cruise vendetta by calling him a fudge-packer because he is packing fudge. Cruise, who teamed up with numerous celebrities who were targeted by past 'South Parks,' including Paris Hilton, Barbara Streisand and Rob Reiner, is marked by his threat to sue the town for oblivion unless he delivers the prophet Muhammad to them, as he believes he can steal the 'super ability' of a prophet which not-being-made-fun-of. Children visit the Super Best Friends’ lair, they get Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Krishna, etc. to agree to Muhammad’s participation under strict rule that may not be seen. But a group of militant gingers tired of ruthless persecution threaten to bomb South Park if the prophet is not released instead prompting the celebrities to release Godzilla-like Barbara Streisand to destroy the town.

The reason why this TV series was aired because in every conceivable way a double-down from the “Trapped in the Closet” show which had taken aim at Scientology and at Tom Cruise’s sexuality, the first half of this double episode aired unexpurgated, that is with mentions of the world “Muhammad” left intact. The resulting anger, including the death threat from the organized Revolution Muslim, led to “201” being censored and having every mention of his name, as well as Kyle’s finale speech in its entirety bleeped. '200' has been removed from digital streaming, and '201' has not been delivered through that platform. But both can be found in home DVDs and Blu‐Ray releases. The problem is, this is actually a pretty good double play from the later 'South Park' season, taking oddly even-handed and extremely accurate pot shots at the nonsense surrounding almost every organized religion that is a lesser-reported factoid which Sri Lanka banned the whole show due to scenes from “200” of Buddha snorting cocaine, as well as basically straight-up taunting Cruise, as if double-daring him to sue or complain.

Solution

From broadcaster’s perspective, I would cut out the lines that is sensitive to Muslim organization which is related to Muhammad in adult animated sitcom. The reason why is that these two show’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided to go all out and attempt to offend every social and religious group including Muslim. This television series episode immediately set off controversy around the globe with certain radical Muslim organizations threaten. Audiences feel mad when this series mention about the part of religion that is so sensitive. In conclusion, to avoid any conflict or violence about it, broadcaster must step in and censored the episode by literally placing a black bar over Muhammad and cutting off his lines for the entirety of the plot. They also need to check whether they are providing right and non-sensitive information which is related to any of religion to viewers or listeners in adult animated sitcom.

Conclusion

The television program production is packed with controversial issues that often take up the headlines in the mainstream media. Violence, sex, religion, culture clash, sexual language and many more are the most common controversial topics that is prevalent a wide range of TV series formats. Since this kind of controversial issue keep happening, broadcaster need to set boundaries on the type of content that can be released in the TV programs. And also, broadcaster must censor the content of program for children who are under the age of 18 because they might feel offended by this content and it is detrimental to them in physically and mentally.

Next, broadcaster need to provide voluntary rating on content such as “R for Graphic Violence” to allow customer to predict the level of controversies. Broadcasters need to cut out the lines that is sensitive to religion. They also must not put wrong cultural practice so that there wouldn’t be cultural clash. Lastly, broadcaster should change inappropriate scenes to appropriate one. If these practices mentioned above keep remain and doing, unethical issues won’t be appeared in TV program anymore. As a result, the controversy of violence, sex, religion, culture clash, sexual language and many more in TV series is likely to hange in the near future.