[randog]

Anderson quotes an interview that Howard Kurtz, the Washington Post's media critic, conducted with Lawrence O'Donnell, a political analyst and screenwriter for ''The West Wing,'' in which O'Donnell said, ''You'll never, ever get the Republican TV show.'' Anderson and O'Donnell imply that this has something to do with politics, but isn't it more likely a question of ratings? Would anybody, even a conservative fan of ''South Park'' -- especially a conservative fan of ''South Park'' -- want to watch a sitcom about churchgoing parents with two children who lead an uneventful life and make regular donations to the Fraternal Order of Police?

I guess that's why The Brady Bunch, Star Trek, et.al. are dismal failures.

</sarcasm>

[Paul Atreides]

Which brings us to the subject of content. A recent report by the Dove Foundation found that G-rated movies are more profitable than any other category--and particularly when compared with R-rated movies, which average a profit of about $7 million, compared with about $79 million in profit for the average G. These figures do not mean that mature-themed movies will disappear. Indeed, of the 3,000 films Dove counted between 1989 and 2003, 1,533 were R-rated, compared with 123 G's. According to Dove Foundation chairman Dick Rolfe, this ratio is partly explained by the fact that studios no longer depend on satisfied audiences for their bread and butter. He says that movies now tend to be financed like shopping centers are, with the studios functioning like building contractors. They'll get paid something no matter what; it's the investors/financiers who are taking the biggest risk. (Dove sent copies of its report to 200 top mutual-fund and pension-fund managers.)

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110006864

[Paul Atreides]

who lead an uneventful life

I wonder what they consider an uneventful life: having one spouse? not strung out on drugs? not having multiple abortions?

[AZ_Cowboy]

Don't forget the Dukes of Hazzard!