Television Watchdog Group Celebrates 'Dads' Cancellation
A television content watchdog group lauded the cancellation of the Fox sitcom series "Dads" after only one season.
The Parents Television Council released a statement last week supporting the move to cancel the program due to its graphic content. PTC President Tim Winter called the decision to cancel the show "a victory for families."
"The program, which aired during early evening hours when children are likely to be in the viewing audience, featured references to and depiction of semen, as well as references to masturbation," stated Winter.
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"We urge Fox Broadcasting to replace 'Dads' with programming that appeals to a family audience – a vast market that is woefully underserved by the current broadcast TV environment."
Dan Isett, director of communications and policy for PTC, told The Christian Post that the explicit content for "Dads" "may have violated the FCC's legal standards for broadcast indecency."
"In addition to contacting sponsors of the show, the PTC called on its members and other concerned citizens to file indecency complaints with the FCC about that episode," said Isett.
"While the FCC must still act on those outstanding complaints, it is clear that 'Dads' crossed a line and suffered the ultimate fate as a result."
Debuting last year and starring Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi, "Dads" followed the lives of two successful 30-something men as their fathers moved in with them. The Seth MacFarlane-produced comedy program was rated TV-14.
Isett of the PTC told CP that "Dads" was "one of several programs on the network that routinely feature offensive and adults-only content that's rated as appropriate for 14-year-old children."
"We've been concerned about the direction Fox Broadcasting has taken for a long time and we can only hope that the network will replace 'Dads' with programming that appeals to a family audience," said Isett.
Last week, Fox announced that they were canceling three of their comedy programs. In addition to "Dads," "Enlisted" and "Surviving Jack" were not renewed for new seasons.
James Hibberd of Inside TV reported that the cancellation of "Dads" was "actually a bit surprising."
"The industry tom-toms began to drum in recent weeks that the series starring Giovanni Ribisi and Seth Green was, against the odds, looking very likely for a renewal," reported Hibberd.
"Recently, however, the caustic comedy's fortune suddenly reversed. The axing is win for the critics - Dads only averaged a score of 15 of 100 on Metacritic."
The Christian Post reached out to Fox Broadcasting but they declined to comment due to a lack of availability of anyone to respond.
