NBC Excises 'ER' Breast Scene
Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 8:52 am
LOS ANGELES, Ca. (Hollywood Reporter) - Days after Janet Jackson shocked the nation by baring her breast during the Super Bowl, NBC has agreed to edit out a brief shot of an 80-year-old woman's breast from Thursday night's episode of medical drama "ER" -- to the chagrin of the show's executive producer.
In the scene, the breast is visible for less than two seconds in the background of a scene where doctors are giving the woman emergency care. The network's decision to adjust the scene to obscure the bare breast drew a strong rebuke from "ER" executive producer John Wells, who said it sent a bad message.
NBC's decision was finalized late Tuesday, two days after the Super Bowl halftime stunner in which Jackson bared her breast during a performance with Justin Timberlake. The incident has spurred a national debate about indecency on television and triggered an investigation by the FCC.
"In consultation with our affiliate board we have asked 'ER' to remove a shot of an exposed breast of an 80-year-old woman receiving emergency care," NBC said. "Though we continue to believe the shot is appropriate and in context, and would have aired after 10:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time, we have unfortunately concluded that the atmosphere created by this week's events has made it too difficult for many of our affiliates to air this shot."
While the final decision on the "ER" shot came a few days after the Jackson incident, Roger Ogden, general manager of NBC affiliate KUSA-TV in Denver and chairman of the NBC affiliate board, said that affiliates had been concerned about the propriety of the scene for several weeks. NBC executives first showed the scene in question to the affiliate board during a meeting at NATPE in Las Vegas last month.
"In looking at it myself, it wasn't something that ... felt totally out of context. It was very brief and it wasn't something that would've shocked you if you're watching the show as a normal person," Ogden said.
Nevertheless, after a number of affiliates raised serious concerns, Ogden said the affiliate board notified NBC early this week that "we thought it wasn't in the best interest of the network or the affiliates to include the shot," Ogden said.
"ER" executive producer Wells said his objection to editing the breast out of the shot came out of concern about artistic freedom rather than the specifics of that particular scene.
"It's really not about this," Wells said. "We could've easily cut the small piece of the breast and it does no damage to the show whatsoever. But the chilling effect of having this one incident now affect programming content across all the networks, that's what I'm concerned about."
Wells added that he felt a certain obligation as the steward of a hit network show to take a stand on the matter.
"It makes you ask those questions about other things that might be perceived to be controversial," Wells said. "Should you talk about sexually transmitted disease among teenagers? Should you be dealing with certain types of violence and the effects of that violence? And while on a show like 'ER,' where we have the success to not bow to too much of that pressure, (for) pilots and newer shows that don't feel as confident in their future, it will be very difficult for them to stand up to questions from the studio or their network about them."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
In the scene, the breast is visible for less than two seconds in the background of a scene where doctors are giving the woman emergency care. The network's decision to adjust the scene to obscure the bare breast drew a strong rebuke from "ER" executive producer John Wells, who said it sent a bad message.
NBC's decision was finalized late Tuesday, two days after the Super Bowl halftime stunner in which Jackson bared her breast during a performance with Justin Timberlake. The incident has spurred a national debate about indecency on television and triggered an investigation by the FCC.
"In consultation with our affiliate board we have asked 'ER' to remove a shot of an exposed breast of an 80-year-old woman receiving emergency care," NBC said. "Though we continue to believe the shot is appropriate and in context, and would have aired after 10:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time, we have unfortunately concluded that the atmosphere created by this week's events has made it too difficult for many of our affiliates to air this shot."
While the final decision on the "ER" shot came a few days after the Jackson incident, Roger Ogden, general manager of NBC affiliate KUSA-TV in Denver and chairman of the NBC affiliate board, said that affiliates had been concerned about the propriety of the scene for several weeks. NBC executives first showed the scene in question to the affiliate board during a meeting at NATPE in Las Vegas last month.
"In looking at it myself, it wasn't something that ... felt totally out of context. It was very brief and it wasn't something that would've shocked you if you're watching the show as a normal person," Ogden said.
Nevertheless, after a number of affiliates raised serious concerns, Ogden said the affiliate board notified NBC early this week that "we thought it wasn't in the best interest of the network or the affiliates to include the shot," Ogden said.
"ER" executive producer Wells said his objection to editing the breast out of the shot came out of concern about artistic freedom rather than the specifics of that particular scene.
"It's really not about this," Wells said. "We could've easily cut the small piece of the breast and it does no damage to the show whatsoever. But the chilling effect of having this one incident now affect programming content across all the networks, that's what I'm concerned about."
Wells added that he felt a certain obligation as the steward of a hit network show to take a stand on the matter.
"It makes you ask those questions about other things that might be perceived to be controversial," Wells said. "Should you talk about sexually transmitted disease among teenagers? Should you be dealing with certain types of violence and the effects of that violence? And while on a show like 'ER,' where we have the success to not bow to too much of that pressure, (for) pilots and newer shows that don't feel as confident in their future, it will be very difficult for them to stand up to questions from the studio or their network about them."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter