Before I go into my rant let me first say that I have no problem with adult-oriented content appearing on broadcast networks.  As long as it airs outside the time frame in which networks are supposed to air only family-oriented content, I see no issue with swear words, a little sex, and even the occasional nudity (hell, we already get that, don’t we?).  However, I think it’s silly to say that putting more sex, foul language, and nudity on broadcast networks will make more people watch.  This article pushes the idea that networks would be more profitable if they weren’t tied to the FCC’s decency rules using the success of cable shows that are allowed to air more mature content to back up that thesis.  What this article doesn’t get is that these cable shows are successful in spite of, not because of, their mature content.  Shows like The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Nip/Tuck, and even Mad Men are not successful because they’re free to show more skin, more sex, and have more bad words.  They’re successful because more often than not they are well written, well acted, and original in concept. 

Network television is filled one copy cat show after another.  Is there really that much difference between all the CSI and Law and Order shows?  Network television, in its never-ending quest of catering to a younger audience, is filled with unoriginal programming and bad reality shows.  If they want to succeed maybe they should take some chances, give series a chance to find an audience instead of cancelling it after two episodes.  I’m not a particular fan of Mad Men, but I can see why it has such a cult following, but that series barely draws a million people and would be a spectacular failure on network television unless given a chance to find an audience like AMC has done.  Moreover, adding more sex and bad language doesn’t make entertainment “sophisticated.”  I would call Mad Men sophisticated television, but it’s not riddled with sex and foul language.  This article completely missed the point, and the real problem, with network television; lack of originality.