I just think it's nice the Gestapo found work after the war ended.

DarqueGuy | August 22, 13:03 CET

There are some selfless people at the PTC, willing to be corrupted by watching immoral programming so they can report back and save us from them. I for one know I'll never watch Fastlane, totally thanks to their brave and noble work.

Martin | August 22, 14:39 CET

Tis a strange coincedence that 'Smallville' is number 6 on the best list.

Simon | August 22, 14:47 CET

Martin, what makes you think they actually watch the shows? People like this are usually pefectly happy to boycott something they've never seen.

unreality | August 22, 16:41 CET

I want to see that explicit sex on Angel that they referred to. Woo-hoo! Explicit sex! More, More!

Seriously, showing Wesley and Lilah rough housing and then his head goes down and out of the frame is explicit? These PTC people NEVER get laid, I tell ya.

Now Buffy impaling herself on Spike's... ummmm... spike, THAT was explicit for 8pm. And the balcony scene - VERY explicit. But Angel? I must be watching the wrong show.

Cris | August 22, 17:05 CET

I think the key to getting on the 'top ten best list' is mullets, yes mullets. If Spike had the Billy Ray instead of the Billy Idol, 'Angel' would be comfortably in the number 2 spot behind that other Angel show...you know, the boring one.

Fittztopher | August 22, 18:03 CET

I think this is a ringing endorsement for Angel. I hope next Season Angel can climb up to the Apex of the worst list and reign supreme as number 1!

Rhaegar | August 22, 18:22 CET

I too will not be happy til Angel reigns at the no. 1 spot. More graphic violence. More oral sex inferences.

On the plus side, I will ba able to use this list the next time somebody tells me why I realy should watch Smallville.

Unitas | August 22, 20:43 CET

Grrr. Argh.

ZachsMind | August 22, 21:00 CET

I guess it's too bad, then, that Joss never got around to writing that all naked, all gay episode with goats...

unreality | August 22, 21:18 CET

Grr Arrgh, indeed

buffyfanatic18 | August 22, 21:33 CET

I did a quick search on Google and noticed that Buffy was on their watchlist (at #3 in 2001, with Angel at #8).

The fact that people actually take the PTC seriously is such a travesty. They're such a joke it's not even funny. The thing that scares me is that they're taken seriously by the media and the networks.

Oddjob | August 22, 22:26 CET

BTW, I wanted to add that this is actually good publicity for Angel. People are going to want to tune in and see what all the fuss is about.

Hell, it worked for Al Franken and his book Fair and Balanced. Sales of his book have reportedly skyrocketed (#2 on Amazon) since news broke of the lawsuit that Fox News filed against him.

Plus I'd rather watch any of their so-called bad programming over their good programming any day of the week. I'm surprised that two of my favorites, The Shield and 24, didn't make their list. :P

Oddjob | August 22, 22:37 CET

Number #1 next year! C'mon Mutant Enemy, I know you can do it!

What about Xander's eye gouging {shudders} ... I don't know who that wasn't too much for. Though I still hope they keep pushing boundaries.

I love the fact that their example sounds so good. On Angel they never went so far to say that he performed oral sex on her, they merely infered it ... that makes it so much better that the PTC said it outright (they're not dirty, no).

I could almost swear the person who wrote it was into it. Though they don't know he was having "oral sex", there are other things he could've been doing. : )

And Fastlane instead of Firefly, both were cancelled, c'mon on Firefly they cut off somebody's ear and kill people without flinching ... they even made it humorous, but I forget it's ok to kill people, but sex is bad.

Somebody need to tell the PTC that Smallville is just a watered down version of BtVS.

btw the naked/gay/goat episode is AtS episode 5.15 look for it in early 2004.

ascii_102_117 | August 23, 01:24 CET

Censorship is a subjective thing. If these other shows deserve their scrutiny, surely so does 24 and The Shield. The lack of consistency in these politically minded lists just further reinforces the ludicrous and worthless exercise of making them. I agree that consumers should be informed and educated. Sure. Fine. Okay. Angel, CSI, NYPD Blue and Fear Factor are not necessarily family fare. They do not advertise them as such and it's fair for independent groups to come forward and feel free to inform the masses. However their description of "worst" versus "best" is misleading. Their definition of worst in this context is actually "least suitable for parents to allow children to view unattended." In point of fact, children should NEVER watch television unattended, although it's done all the time. If that's how a parent uses the boob tube, they deserve to raise weeds. The television industry should not be censored or dumbed down for the sake of children, just because parents want to use TV as a subsitute for nannies and babysitters.

Like I said. Grrr. Argh.

ZachsMind | August 23, 01:27 CET

*Yawn* What else is new? ;)

Silent Night | August 23, 05:46 CET

Doesn't Clark occasionally go evil and try to kill all of his friends whenever he gets too close to red kryptonite?

And that's okay as long as there's no implied oral sex?

lalaa | August 23, 09:35 CET

It's okay for Johnny to learn how to kill people he needs to be familiar with death and killing, that's important for the (future) war effort against the heathens. Johnny doesn't need to know how to please people, just breedin' for the (future) war effort.

But this was Angel wasn't it?

ascii_102_117 | August 23, 22:47 CET

I don't quite understand why Smallville is on the 10 best list. Is it because Clark's a virgin? Because that's the only thing that I can see that keeps Smallville on that list.

mchan | August 24, 07:25 CET

There's no implied sex in Smallville. In fact, the lead character is adopted, so there's no guarantee that the Kents have ever had sex. And Lex Luthor pisses off all the women in his life before he can ever have sex with them. Then there's Pete. I mean, LOOK at'm! That boy's never even thought about a girl in that way. And Lana's so mental she'd fall off the bed. I mean really if a boy fell out of the sky naked and landed on her bed, she would probably just offer him coffee.

THIS is what the PTC wants from television. Completely unbelievable violence is perfectly alright, but the merest hint that anyone in Smallville might want to see Martha Kent in a thong is just not acceptable from the boob tube. The word "sex" should only come up if the episode is branded "a very special episode" and then young people should learn how bad sex is for you, that it causes cervical cancer in lab rats and some men, blindness, premature balding, and in some cases pregnancy.

Completely fantastical storytelling, where married people keep one foot on the floor when they go into separate beds, and it's pretended that all characters are made like Barbie & Ken dolls. Anatomically oblivious. Chloe & Daddy Luthor though? Keep your fingers crossed. We'll see Smallville get on that worst list yet! Here's hoping.

Personally I'd take Anya jumping Xander's bones over Chloe whining that Clark won't jump her bones any day. Besides I really wouldn't wanna watch Clark jump anyone's bones, cuz I'm afraid to find out what a Krypton boys' sperm might to do a lady's diaphragm. I mean unless Lana gets one that's lead lined? Not to mention the thrusting. Clark should probably practice on live sized dolls first, and if the doll's like in shreds all over the room by the time he's finished, maybe he should consider abstinence rather than put a girl in the hospital or worse the morgue. I mean there are some shows in which it's a good idea not to introduce sex. Could get messy.

ZachsMind | August 24, 23:31 CET

Personally, I consider making the worst lsit for ANY fundie group an acheivement to gloat over. I keep hoping they'll hate one of my kinky ertoic pieces enough to condemn it, and thus make me rich and famous. No such luck as yet. After all, you cna judge the quality of someoen by their enemeies!

As for Clark's potential problems with sex--Larry Niven covered them many years ago in an essay called" Man of Steel, WOman of Kleenex" in which he, phsyicist that he is, figured out Clark's ejaculation would probably gut Lois like a trout and blow her head off. I DID stump him with a question thoiugh, by pointing out that there were so many erotic possibilities with the XMen's Nightcrawler's prehnsile tail...and it is NOT easy to shut Larry Niven up. Though my husband;s threatening to rip his lungs out if he drooled down my cleavage again (this was many years ago when we were both guests at a Swampcon) did at least make him pause in his chatter.

And my husband would LOVE to see Annette O'Toole in a thing--she looked pretty good in a one piece int he swimming pool scene in Cat People (far better than Kinski did naked).

feywitch | August 25, 03:37 CET

That's what Wes was doing?? I'm so glad they explained it to me in such detail so now I fully understand what was going on in that scene.

jenniwren | August 26, 12:13 CET