Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
January 1997 – America has reclaimed part of the prime-time terrain with CBS’s announcement that it is shelving the controversial series Public Morals. The Steven Bochco sitcom performed dismally in its one and only showing, prompting CBS to put the remaining 12 episodes which had been shot “on hiatus.” Sources cited by The Hollywood Reporter trade paper said the controversial show won’t return any time soon.
“It’s only 30 minutes in a prime-time schedule filled with objectionable content but it is a start,” said Dr. Donald Wildmon, president of the American Family Association. “This serves as a classic example that citizens sick of television’s slide into the cesspool can make a difference. The thousands and thousands of people who took the time to write the letters and make the phone calls can all rest tonight knowing that the entertainment powers can be affected.”
The classification of the show as being “on hiatus” doesn’t trouble the advocate for family friendly television. “It’s the oldest dodge in the book,” stated Wildmon. “It gives CBS a chance to save a little face. The bottom line is Public Morals is off the air and if Bochco swings his clout and CBS brings it back, well, supporters of the movement to clean up TV will still have telephones and postage stamps.” Several publications, such as the Washington Post, have used the word cancelled when talking about the show, giving further credence to the belief that Public Morals is dead for good.
The pulling of Public Morals adds what in all probability will be the final chapter to the short but infamous network run of the program. The sitcom first exploded on the entertainment landscape when word leaked out about the vulgar dialogue Bocho originally intended to air. The inclusion of the phrase “p---y posse” jolted pro-family groups, led by the AFA, to petition local CBS stations not to air the program and to ask advertisers not to bankroll the production. Co-creator Jay Tarses said that letter writing campaign forced CBS to change the show’s dialogue and completely avoid running the pilot episode.
Daily Variety, 11/5/96; Hollywood Reporter, 11/5/96; USA Today, 10/28/96
