'Swingers' hit network lineups for fall

Editor's Note. The lyrics cited in this story may be offensive.

Television networks have announced a list of new programs that will be aired during prime time in the fall, and while the actual shows remain to be reviewed, a leader from the Parents Television Council says it doesn't look good for families.

Melissa Caldwell, senior director for programs for the organization, told WND that she reviews new programs when they become available, but she often can get a sense of the nature of a program from those who are making it, or the plotlines that are announced.

Swingers in the 1970s, for example, is the subject of a new CBS program, and "the subject matter alone gives reason for concern," she said.

A WND reader had expressed the same concern. Actually, the word she used was "outrage."

"I am outraged that the new fall lineup on CBS network is now promoting 'swingers,'" wrote Wendy. "The program Jericho has been cancelled and was concluded this season in the MIDDLE of a WAR with no resolution!!

"Replacing this thought-provoking programming is a show about 1970s swingers-wife swappers!" she said.

The new program, called "Swingtown," is designed to push the limits on network television programming, observers said. It features a couple who move into a suburban neighborhood and discover most of their neighbors are involved in the "swinging" culture.

Other programs are suspect because of what has been produced by the same people in the past. For example, CBS has a plan for a comedy called "The Big Bang Theory," about two friends who have a "giant intellect" but no social skills. It was created by Chuck Lorre of "Two and a Half Men," a program on which WND has reported in the past.

Actors Charlie Sheen, Angus T. Jones, and Jon Cryer (L to R) of 'Two and a Half Men' on CBS

The American Family Association last winter called on CBS to apologize for that program, because of the main character's boasting of plans to sexual exploit a women.

On the Dec. 11 episode of "Two and a Half Men," actor Charlie Sheen was shown lighting candles and adjusting Christmas decorations, apparently in preparation for a party.

He's singing the melody of "Joy To The World," but the words have been altered to:

Joy to the world

I'm getting laid

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I'm getting laid tonight.

We'll light the Yule log

Deck the halls

And then we'll play some

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Jingle balls.

It's been a real long wait

This is our second date

It's Christmas Eve

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And I'm getting laid.

The Tupelo, Miss.-based AFA said that's unacceptable to the vast majority of Christians. The association, with millions of supporters, takes Christian stands on gambling, "gays," pornography and abortion, and many other social issues. Its previous boycott promotions have been credited with having an impact on corporate behavior in America.

"Some of the producers notorious for racy shows have new shows coming," Caldwell told WND. "We'll be taking a close look at those when they debut in the fall.

She said she was a little surprised at some of the shows that are in the lineup, and some of those cancelled.

"Jericho was one of the cleaner shows, although it did have some violence and mild sexual suggestion," she said.

She said the changes do demonstrate that the networks have interests only in what can be sold to advertisers, and are "not really all that concerned about what their viewers want."

The Parents Television Council is organized to "promote and restore responsibility and decency to the entertainment industry in answer to America's demand for positive, family-oriented television programming."

The organization discourages increasingly graphic sexual themes, gratuitous violence and profane and obscene language, and it concentrates on broadcast television which uses public airwaves.

The group said the influence of such images on television cannot be ignored. "The Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, for instance, were apparently motivated, at least in part, by the prospect of being the subjects of a television movie," the group said.

Besides the Chicago swingers, CBS is adding a story about a vampire and a drama about a Cuban-American family with a sugar business in Florida, while "The Class" and "Close to Home" are being dropped. "The New Adventures of Old Christine" was left off the schedule but is planned for use at midseason.

NBC is going with "Journeyman," "Bionic Woman," "Lipstick Jungle and "The IT Crowd" but is moving away from "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," as well as Donald Trump's "The Apprentice."

On ABC, "Pushing Daisies" is about a man with a modified Midas touch: He brings everything from spoiled fruit to dead ex-girlfriends back to life, but if he touches a newly living thing once more, it dies. "Dirty Sexy Money" is about an "absurdly" wealth family, and is described as a younger, sexier stepchild of Dallas and Dynasty. "Big Shots," according to the network, promises to blur the line between boardroom and bedroom. "Cashmere Mafia" tells about working women struggling to "have it all."

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