Violent dramas on the broadcast networks carry milder parental cautions than cable shows like The Walking Dead but can equal them in graphic gore, a failure of the TV ratings system, a new study found.
Scenes of stabbings, shootings, rape, decapitation and mutilation invariably received a TV-14 “parents strongly cautioned” rating on network TV, according to the Parents Television Council study released Monday. But similar fare on cable typically was given the most stringent label, TV-MA for mature audiences only.
“There are zero-point-zero series rated TV-MA on broadcast,” said council President Tim Winter, despite programs that are awash in violent scenes.
The study of 14 series during a four-week period found a 6 percent difference in the overall incidence of violence of all types on cable versus broadcast, with 1,482 violent acts on the cable programs and 1,392 on the network series.
Federally regulated broadcasters face sanctions if they cross the line on indecency or expletives but not violence. With competition from unregulated cable and its daring series such as Breaking Bad and Masters of Sex, networks have resorted to more mayhem.
Episode ratings are decided by networks and cable channels, similar to how the movie studios’ Motion Picture Association of America self-governs by issuing its own movie ratings. The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, which is composed of TV industry members and public interest advocates, checks for ratings uniformity and responds to public complaints. It received 38 complaints in the past year.
The ratings system “serves as a valuable resource for parents and helps them make responsible viewing decisions based on what is appropriate for their own families. The industry regularly reviews the TV ratings to ensure they continue to be useful to parents,” Missi Tessier, spokeswoman for the board’s executive secretariat, said in response to the PTC study.
Under political and social pressure in the mid-1990s, the voluntary system was established by the TV industry to be used with the so-called V-chip that can block shows electronically.
Networks find it financially vital to avoid applying TV-MA ratings, Winters said, which scare off advertisers.
To assess how the ratings are used, the PTC said it analyzed the seven shows each on cable and broadcast TV that had the highest levels of violence. The study defined graphic as “especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence,” explicitly depicted.
NBC, CBS, Fox and CW did not comment on the study, which did not include any ABC shows.