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Women’s Murder Club on ABC

Rating: TV- PG SDL

The May 6^th episode of Women’s Murder Club entitled “And the Truth Will (Sometimes) Set You Free” was rife with violence and graphic content. The story centered on investigator Lindsay Boxer learning that a murdered college student named Collin and his friend Jay were accused of rape; but the D.A.’s office did not pursue a prosecution due to lack of evidence. Suspicion falls on the rape victim, Kate, forcing Lindsey to struggle with the ethics of arresting a victim whom the system has failed. The episode, airing at 10:00 p.m. ET, was rated TV-PG SDL with no content descriptor for violence.

The opening scene of the episode featured Collin’s dead body, with blood oozing through his shirt and coming out of his mouth. At the medical examiner’s office, Collin’s dead body was shown on an examination table as coroners discussed his injuries. Later, Kate’s boyfriend, Charlie, shows up at a press conference with a gun and shoots at Jay, but he misses and the bullet hits Cindy Thomas, a reporter. Again, a large blood stain soaks through her shirt.

A rating of TV-PG SDL suggests that the episode features no violent content. However, with the depiction of a blood-spattered dead body, a shooting scene, and a seriously injured reporter, a violence descriptor seems an obvious necessity.  A rating of TV-PG SDLV would have cautioned parents of the violent nature of the episode.

If you agree that this program was inadequately rated, please write to the TV ratings advisory board at tvomb@usa.net and let them know that the TV ratings once again failed to adequately warn parents about inappropriate content.

For more information about the TV ratings, please visit http://www.tvguidelines.org/contact.asp.