Since 1995, the conservative advocacy group, Parents Television Council, has been looking out for families’ best interests by submitting complaints and grievances to the FCC when they deem television programs to be harmful to children. The watchdog group unleashes a multitude of media campaigns against TV programs each year and continually pressures advertisers, cable operators and networks to remove what it considers to be inappropriate content.
If you watch any TV, or at least are aware of what’s being broadcast on a nightly basis, then you can only imagine how many programs the PTC is not a fan of. Dexter, Without a Trace, MTV’s Skins and Glee have all been in the group’s crosshairs over the years.
Now we can add AMC’s massive hit series The Walking Dead to that list, as the PTC recently came out against the program for its excessively violent content, saying that the show is inappropriately rated TV-14. According to Entertainment Weekly, PTC president Tim Winter said in a statement:
“Throughout its run, the AMC program ‘The Walking Dead’ has featured some of the most graphic and brutally intense violence and gore imaginable. In the current season alone the show has depicted hundreds of scenes of grisly murder both of living and ‘undead,’ but human, characters. Clearly, this is content appropriate to an adult-only audience, but AMC has rated every single episode of ‘The Walking Dead’ as suitable for a 14 year old child.”
Along with publicly slamming the program and its rating, the PTC plans to bring the issue to the attention of the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board and its chairman, former U.S. Senator Gordon Smith, according to Winter.
A scene from The Walking Dead season 3, episode 7
Although the watchdog group may seem like nothing more than an annoying nag to fans and even producers of the show, the good folks at the PTC may have a point on this one. A good dose of gory violence is unavoidable and even necessary for a show dealing with the zombie apocalypse, but its explicit nature may be too much for young viewers to handle.
Most of the show’s millions of loyal followers love it more for its dramatic survival story and interesting characters than for the gore and most of those viewers are mature adults, so bumping up the rating to TV-MA probably wouldn’t affect the show’s success. Season 3 of The Walking Dead continues to dominate its time slot and smash cable records, so it’s safe to say its not going anywhere, no matter how much disdain the PTC has for it. In fact, we know the show is at least coming back for season 4.
Is The Walking Dead too violent for its TV-14 rating? Sound off in the comments section below and continue to tune in when the show returns to AMC on Sunday, February 9th, 2013 @9pm.
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Source: EW
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This show probably does need to be TV-MA. I can’t believe its only TV-14, but either way – who gives a s#%t. if you don’t want your kids watching it, then don’t let them. i’m not sure if i’ve ever paid any attention to a tv rating ever in my life
http://twdrumors.com
Sorry, but I have seen PG-13 movies WAY more inappropriate for children than The Walking Dead series. And do these people KNOW the stuff 14 year old kids watch? I’m a 16 year old in high school, trust me, 14 year olds aren’t as “innocent” as they think.
The TV14 rating is fine. And if you don’t want your kids watching something, don’t let them. And seriously, who is the idiot who thought a show called “The Walking Dead” would be family friendly?
TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board Arent these the same idiots that tried to get Married with Children banned? If they would have shut up and not done a thing Married with Children would have died a horrible death and thanx to these kooks it became one of the best series ever, Now they want to mess with the best show on tv now, how about they stay the hell out of our lives and let us live it the way we want to, I am so tired of other people trying to control my life and I stay out of theirs
Great point Brian!
if they want to go after someone it should be 2 and a half men, that little song and dance number a couple of weeks ago never even made the news. now aint that somethin i guess angus was right
The PTA just needs to provide their opinion. Nothing else. They’ve gotten too involved with so much stuff, it’s not even funny anymore. I’m 15, and this is my favorite show on television. I plan on purchasing the new video game when it comes out in March as well. The parents of kids need to make the decision for them, not some unreasonable organization.
I do not agree with The Walking Dead’s new rating. I am currently a 13 year old, soon to be 14, and none of the violence and explicit scenes bother or offend me. My tv has blocks on it, so now with The Walking Dead being TV-MA I can no longer enjoy my favorite show.
Really PTC, you are targeting The Walking Dead? The last time i check Breaking Bad was rated TV-14 also, which features the same type of violence as the walking dead plus strong language, use of drugs, sexual situations, and nudity. Yet you are going after the zombie show because of its violence. It doesn’t make sense.
I mean I’m 15 and I do not care whether to shows is TV-14 or TV-MA. As long as there is no nudity I am fine. The show has been TV-14 for almost 3 seasons and it is too good to give up based on what other adults think. Many of my friends watch it and they don’t seem to care either so its not really going to change anything. If a someone who is between the ages of 14-18 cannot handle it then they don’t have to watch it, if anything I don’t think it would change how TWD runs the show away.
*anyway
Omg it’s 2013 c’mon guys why make it MA after all these seasons and plus because of the rating change my tv locks itself and also if your so “offended” by it’s violence just IGNORE IT plain and simple and besides its called the walking DEAD nobody said it was supposed to be friendly
I was just looking at Walking Dead website. In just a few minutes I found 2 women that were talking about how they gather their kids on Sundsy to watch the show. One has an eight year old the other a 10 , 7 and 3. They all sit around on Sunday nights and watch.
I was just looking at Walking Dead website. In just a few minutes I found 2 women that were talking about how they gather their kids on Sundsy to watch the show. One has an eight year old the other a 10 , 7 and 3. They all sit around on Sunday nights and watch. I agree that it should be rated pg 13 or PG 14. , but the bottom line is that some parents just don’t want to deal with parenting or they don’t consider tv an important issue. They would rather concentrate on drinking or drugs.
im 33years and im sick to death with all the do gooders i say if u think it not good for kids or your kids dont let them watch it if u dont like it dont watch it u dont have too also i think if the show woz not as it is it would not show how the world would be i mean is not like u would be eating nice foods drinking tea u r fighting for ur life so for the people who think or agree with the bull then do wot it says in the first part of the message DONT WATCH IT THEN!
LONG LIVE THE WALKING DEAD AND KEEP IT AS IT IS!
One more thing in the UK the water shed is 9.00pm and the walking dead is on at 10.00pm i dont know wot the water shed is in the US but dont the young kids go to bed before that because mine do so on that note that should solve the kid problem should it not
I know how much it sucks a rating to go up, but I agree with the tv ratings board on this one guys by the way I LOVE. The walking dead series it is my favorite show. This last season (3) had more graphic scenes than before. Especially when the governor starts shooting all those people. Don’t get me wrong the show is great, the story line plus characters is awesome, but making it TVMA for GRAPHIC VIOLENCE and GORE that’s what’s it’s for. It still had its loving fans me included but I wouldn’t wanna show this to anyone who isn’t MATURE.