Why Is There So Much Crime And Violence On TV?

I'm sitting at home on a cold Saturday night, and I'm too poor for premium cable...So I am looking through the basic channels to see what I can watch, and all I see is murder, cops, criminals and violence.

What is going on with TV today? I can't seem to turn to CBS, NBC, ABC or FOX without seeing some innocent civilian being the victim of crime on some crime show, or see cops chasing criminals or see people argue and fight each other on a court show.

I find all of this to be very disturbing and maybe deliberate. It seems as if the media is trying to scare the living daylights out of everyday citizens.

There is so much violence and crime on TV that I am almost ready to stop watching altogether.

I shouldn't turn on my TV to see an innocent young woman being threatened by a psychopath who has put dynamite around her body.

What's going on?!?

Because sex, violence, drugs, and popular music sells. If people took everything more morally no one would buy anything.

reply to post by windwaker


I would say most likely to scare you into thinking things like the "patriot act" and "TSA" are good ideas.

reply to post by Sly1one


Swish and flicker that is my favorite swear.

reply to post by Sly1one


Yes. This is exactly what I am suspecting. The amount of violence is just unreal, yet, nudity and sex on TV are shunned.

You get what you pay for. I gave up on tv a while ago and it is good to have my life back.

Originally posted by Sectumsempra
Because sex, violence, drugs, and popular music sells. If people took everything more morally no one would buy anything.

Yep exactly.

Originally posted by windwaker

What is going on with TV today? I can't seem to turn to CBS, NBC, ABC or FOX without seeing some innocent civilian being the victim of crime on some crime show, or see cops chasing criminals or see people argue and fight each other on a court show..........

What's going on?!?

You are what the rest of the world call an American.
They'll keep feeding you the blood and gore until you're desensitized, or you stop watching it.

Spend some time watching sitcoms like Big Bang Theory, or some old stuff like The Waltons. Life is better without all the shows like Cops, C.S.I., NCIS, Criminal Minds, etc........

Take a break, and watch something fun.

Well it's all to do with reality people want to see things that they can relate to. Yes there are alot of messed up people in the world but the fact is as long as people have the freedom of choice there will always be violence in the world and there is no way that can ever be taken away from the human race.

I'm originate from just outside of glasgow and fact is its the knife capital of europe so I'm well aware of the evil that humans do.

If you want a nice world with no evil remove all humans and then there will be your nice perfect world!!!

Just remember though you won't be around to enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because good news does not get the viewers or the ratings.

reply to post by crazyscotsdude


The amount of violent TV shows on American network TV (not counting basic cable or premium cable stations) far outnumber the amount of non-violent shows it seems.

On one of the 5 major networks there is at least one show every night that graphically shows people getting murdered or being the victims of crime. When I was a teenager there were far less shows like this on TV, and if there were shows on like this, they didn't come on until after 10 PM. Now they come on as early as 8 PM when children are still awake.

We are talking about shows that depict people dead in pools of blood, rape and even people strapped to dynamite (something I saw last week that prompted me to create this thread).

I don't think that it is good to have the American public exposed to so much negative imagery, but it seems that the entertainment industry has a compulsion to do so.

I really don't understand why.

How TV Ruined Your Life - 1. Fear

Comedy series in which Charlie Brooker uses a mix of sketches and jaw-dropping archive footage to explore the gulf between real life and television.

From hysterical public information films to grisly crime dramas, terror spills out of almost every channel. As Charlie explores TV's approach to fear, you won't know whether to laugh or scream.

A humorous look but there are some through provoking aspects. To the argument about social conditioning (purposely or otherwise) which may be raised the following may also be of interest:

The Brain: A Secret History - 1. Mind Control

In a compelling and at times disturbing series, Dr Michael Mosley explores the brutal history of experimental psychology.

To begin, Michael traces the sinister ways this science has been used to try to control our minds. He finds that the pursuit of mind control has led to some truly horrific experiments and left many casualties in its wake. Extraordinary archive captures what happened - scientists systematically change the behaviour of children; law abiding citizens give fatal electric shocks; a gay man has electrodes implanted in his head in an attempt to turn his sexuality.

Michael takes a hallucinogenic drug as part of a controlled experiment to try to understand how its mind-bending properties can change the brain.

This is a scientific journey goes to the very heart of what we hold most dear - our free will, and our ability to control our own destiny.

reply to post by JAK


It seems like you understand. This is exactly what I've been suspecting and hoping wasn't true.

"Body Of Proof": Another crap drama about brutal murders and forensics premiering on ABC next month.

Network TV, you officially SUCK!!!