Controversial TV: A look at what originally caused headaches
When controversial TV topics hit, they often create a bigger fuss than their film counterparts. Television comes into the home, and unless you want to be that weirdo who doesn’t have television, the broadcast networks are always available. Over the years, the entertainment industry (both television and film) has carefully self-censored itself to avoid the government getting too involved. Even still, there is always someone (or a few thousand someones) who don’t like something and try to foist their views on the rest of the country. And when it comes down to it, what really speaks is money.
A lot of complaints can equal a lot of advertisers pulling their support for a show, which can equal a lot of lost money for networks. But it can also bring in a lot of new viewers, which means more eyeballs viewing the ads. It is a delicate balance, and oftentimes, networks play up the controversies.
We have gathered up some of the most controversial TV “firsts” in history. Many of these topics seem banal in today’s society, but at the time, they caused huge headaches. All of these “firsts” refer to broadcast television, since cable TV does not have the same restrictions.