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If the Parents Television Council ruled TV...

When I get bored I tend to troll the internet for outlandish articles and websites for a good laugh. The other day I Googled “Kirk Cameron fan site” just to see if one actually existed. Well turns out, there is one and it’s the most amazing thing ever. It’s hosted on Angelfire, I felt like I traveled back to 1999. Not only that, but it notes itself as the largest Kirk Cameron fan site on the world wide web. The greatest thing about that statement is that it’s entirely believable. I won't link you to it though because I'm about 80% sure it gave me a virus. 

The other night I was once again bored and decided that I would read the Parent’s Television Council website. If you haven’t heard of the PTC, they are a catholic censorship advocacy organization that warns parents about the dangers and indecency found on primetime television. Each week they publish a best-and-worst of the week list for cable and network television. Looking at the list, the only shows they seem to approve of are Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Middle, and Undercover Boss. If they feel a show has gone too far, they will organize letter-writing campaigns to the show’s advertisers and to the FCC. In recent years, they have expanded outside of television and have protested music releases as well (most notably Britney Spears’ “If U Seek Amy” and Rihanna’s “Man Down”).

One of their biggest issues is the bundling of networks by cable and satellite television providers. They want to be able to pick and choose the channels they pay for. I understand that viewpoint to an extent. It does seem like a waste of money to be paying for channels you don’t even watch. However, I disagree with their reasoning. I’m not a parent so maybe I'm seeing it from a different viewpoint, but parents need to stop scapegoating television and the media in general. They should be monitoring what their family is watching and listening to, not the networks. It is not the responsibility of the networks or record labels to cater to a single demographic.

Dog with a Blog - because blogging is so easy a
dog could do it, hmmm?

But fret not, readers! The PTC wants you to know it’s not all bad. Each week they compile another list, their “picks of the week.” And… yikes. Take a look at some of these GEMS.

• Full House, 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) Nickelodeon. Danny Tanner raises his three daughters with the help of his brother-in-law and old friend after his wife dies.
• Gilligan’s Island, 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) Me TV. Seven castaways are stranded on a deserted island after a three hour boat tour goes awry. Gilligan and his Skipper try to accommodate the needs of their boat passengers: a professor, a movie star, a millionaire and his wife, and a woman from a farm.
• Growing Pains, 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) UP. Jason and Maggie encounter a case of sibling rivalry between Carol and Mike, who's upset over his sister's higher scholastic achievements.
• Dog with a Blog, 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) Disney Channel. Avery becomes worried when she has a recurring dream that she and Karl are dating. Meanwhile, Chloe considers giving up choir to become a BMX bike rider with Tyler.
• The Bob Newhart Show, 10:00 p.m. (Eastern) MeTV. In this classic sitcom, comedian Bob Newhart plays Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist. At work, Bob shares his office with a dentist and their receptionist and at home, he is married to Emily, a school teacher, and they are frequently visited by Howard, their neighbor who is a flight navigator.
• Everybody Loves Raymond, 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) TV Land. Ray and Debra Ramone live on Long Island where Ray is a sports writer and Debra is a homemaker and cares for their three children. Their lives are complicated by Ray’s meddlesome parents living just across the street.

Why watch Breaking Bad or Bates Motel when you can watch Dog with a Blog?! If it were up to the Parent’s Television Council, television would mostly consist of re-runs of 70s, 80s, and 90s sitcoms. Let us thank our lucky stars that they have almost no pull in the television industry. My favorite inclusion on that list though? Growing Pains. Of course the PTC would be Kirk Cameron fans. 

(Photo credit via Parade and Mouse on the Mind)