The Bedford Diaries Rides the FCC Controversy Wave
Published March 25, 2006
Maybe the WB really won't risk even the remote possibility of a fine. Maybe it was a demonstration of the futility of regulating TV when the same content can be offered on the FCC-unregulated Internet. Maybe they were hoping to hop on a hot news story to shine a spotlight on their new show.
And what about the show itself, beyond the controversy? It's about university students taking a human sexuality class, which in itself is likely to draw the watchful eyes of groups like the American Family Association who foam at the mouth over sexuality but show no signs of froth at depictions of torture on prime time's 24, for example.
These are shiny, smug young adults with ramped-up lives who don't resemble anyone I've ever met, participating in fast-paced scenes trying too hard to be sexy, and cut with the students' video diaries created for the class.
Canadian viewers might recognize the human sexuality class concept from our Showcase series Naked Josh, and there is a similarity in the classroom scenes presided over by Matthew Modine as the professor. But he's not the central character, he's one of a large ensemble focusing on the students, so there's not much similarity in the execution of the concept.
But see for yourself before you buy the hype or my ennui. You can see the uncensored pilot on the WB website, or watch the edited version March 29 at 9 p.m. on the WB.
"Talking about sex in a classroom setting is a very volatile thing," Modine's character is told in the pilot. You think that's bad? Try talking about it on television.
Diane is a publications manager who's addicted to television, movies, and books and justifies her pop culture obsessions by writing about them for Blogcritics. She also runs the TV, Eh? website, a compilation of news and information about Canadian television series.
- The Bedford Diaries Rides the FCC Controversy Wave
- Published: March 25, 2006
- Type: News
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Television, Video: News, Video: Film and TV Business, Culture: Media
- Writer: Diane Kristine
- Diane Kristine's BC Writer page
- Diane Kristine's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??!@#*!!??!
IF SOMEONE DOESN'T LIKE WHATS"S ON THE TELEVISION,CHANGE IT,..GENIUS YOU WATCH WHAT YOU WANT,AND SO WILL EVERYONE ELSE....LEAVE US ALONE!... YOU HINEYHEAD U!
SINCERELY..MY GAY LEFT NUT
JUST A JOKE:> I'M NO FAAG. Not that there's anything wrong with that!
Well, the advocacy groups are part of the issue, but it's the FCC - the US government - who are doing the damage here by agreeing with them and the other individuals who complain. And yet their indecency rules are arbitrary, inconsistent, and can't touch what the WB puts on their website as opposed to the airwaves.
A Russell Reasearch survey showed that 8 percent of parents favoured government regulation of TV content. If that's accurate, maybe the other 92 percent should think about speaking up.
Diane I couldn't agree more. That is the problem with most of the protests and law suit's these days. Its always about a minority or a handful of people being offended. With these groups, if one person is offended then everyone else needs to change their actions. Its a bunch of bull and the other 92% does need to wake up.
this show probably wont be on air that long. i cant see a guy watching it. well i hope a guy wouldnt.i dont think they ll get enough of an audience from woman. so whats it matter who cares. if you dont like the sexual content dont watch it and it will be taken off the air
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The PTC seriously needs to be stopped. This is getting out of hand. They seem to be at the heart of most of this "controversey."
South Park handled it so well too:
"We got 60 calls, and each one of them is worth a billion people. That means 60 billion people were offended!"