Re: Neil & Morality

Philip H. J. Davies (P.H.J.Davies@reading.ac.uk)
Wed, 8 Oct 1997 11:06:37 +0100 (BST)

I agree entirely with this assessment. The issue of moral ambiguity is
one of the chief redeeming features of NYPD Blue. The characters there
are well capable of behaviour which would, in morally pure TV-land, have
them up on IAB charges in a flash. There is some US television which is
reasonably sophisticated, but compared with British programmes, they are
few and far between.

On Tue, 7 Oct 1997, B. Oltmann wrote:

> Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 22:46:39 -0700 (PDT)
> From: "B. Oltmann" <agnest@u.washington.edu>
> To: Timothy Keirnan <tim@denver.net>
> Cc: sandbaggers@skylee.com
> Subject: Re: Neil & Morality
>
>
> Moral ambiguity is indeed the keyword, I think, in what makes SB
> so intriguing, and what makes most American tv so disappointing. A US
> show may present a problem, but it will have one clear correct answer,
> which will inevitably be reached by the end of the hour. Those of us with
> a taste for a bit more complexity have to search long and hard for
> something with a problem to which there are only a series of more or less
> wrong answers, with shades of gray between them.
> One such show on American tv was Wiseguy, alas now long since
> discontinued. Another, much more recent but also, tragically,
> discontinued, was EZ Streets. This brilliant show was seemingly killed
> intentionally by ABC for reasons I can't begin to fathom. I firmly
> believe there IS a market for quality programming, if only they'd give us
> a chance! Instead, the proliferation of cable channels has merely served
> to broaden the competition to lower the lowest common denominator, to
> follow the formulas with even more inanity, and to carry on building an
> audience that doesn't expect anything better.
> Sorry...it's a perennial soap box, and I know I'm preaching to the
> choir here, but every now and then I have to vent my spleen. Thanks for
> your time and attention. You will now be returned to the list, already in
> progress...
>
> /// Agnes Tomorrow /// agnest@u.washington.edu ///
> "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from
> the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent
> disinclination to do so." Douglas Adams, _Last_Chance_To_See_
>
>

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