NBC Excises 'ER' Breast Scene

[TexasStooge]

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

[GalvestonDuck]

Oh, I'm soooo confused!!

Did I dream it, or did they not already do this episode TWICE????

[Miss Mary]

Oh, I'm soooo confused!!

Did I dream it, or did they not already do this episode TWICE????

Shawn - LOL I think you've been going to that spoiler site a bit too much!!! I'm getting a little confused too, but I'm staying away from that site. It was giving me a little too much info on Friends and I think now I'd rather be surprised in May.

Mary

[blizzard]

Shawn, you are correct, they aired it last week...lol

[GalvestonDuck]

And may I just ask whose idea it was to put "excise" and "breast" do not belong in the same sentence? :o

[blizzard]

Funny, this wasn't the same episode that was aired a couple of times already. THis was a totally different episode with a different woman. You could definately see where they blurred out the breast scene in this one. Two episodes with bare breasts? They are pushing the envelope a bit IMO.

[coriolis]

The producer himself said that the scene could be removed without "harming" the show. That begs the question: "So why put in that scene in the first place?" I'll tell you why- to deliberately push the envelope. These people are not stupid - they are determined. A little setback and they start to whine about "artistic" freedom. Give me a break! They are more concerned about their agenda than they are about honest art.

I don't watch the show. Does their "artistic freedom" ever show people dealing with the "spritual issues" of death and dying?

[blizzard]

I don't watch the show. Does their "artistic freedom" ever show people dealing with the "spritual issues" of death and dying?

Yes, they do.

[Miss Mary]

I don't watch the show. Does their "artistic freedom" ever show people dealing with the "spritual issues" of death and dying?

Yes, they do.

A recent episode dealt with a baby's death in the NICU ward. A major character, head nurse going to med school, was superb in that situation. A grieving family was permitted to hold the baby after it passed away. The nurse/med student dressed and cleaned the baby as if it were breathing. Years ago a family wouldn't have been permitted to see the baby, let alone hold it one last time. It was a touching scene. The baby was placed in the mother's arms with such respect and care.

Mary

[GalvestonDuck]

The producer himself said that the scene could be removed without "harming" the show. That begs the question: "So why put in that scene in the first place?" I'll tell you why- to deliberately push the envelope. These people are not stupid - they are determined. A little setback and they start to whine about "artistic" freedom. Give me a break! They are more concerned about their agenda than they are about honest art.

I don't watch the show. Does their "artistic freedom" ever show people dealing with the "spritual issues" of death and dying?

What agenda? Saving lives?

As bliz and Mary both said, yes, they do show people dealing with the spiritual issues of death and dying.

"ER" is honest art. Of course, they take liberties in dealing with the actual time frames of certain events. It's only an hour-long show and there's no way they could depict traumas and other events in real time. And there are far more romances than in a real ER. But, hey, that's drama for you. Aside from that, it's very realistic when compared to my experiences working in an ER. I've only caught a few bloopers during the past 10 years of watching.

[Miss Mary]

When ER premiered in 1994, it was unlike any other medical drama aired before. Very fast pace, graphic emergency med scenes, bizarre situations (yes they do happen and sometimes they coincide with a full moon!), superb ensemble cast you could become attached to week after week....need I say more? But beneath all that, there were moments between a seasoned doc helping out a young med student, or a nurse going the extra mile. Or a brash, arrogant surgeon ticking someone off (happens all the time in hospitals around the country I'm told). Real stories. So don't knock ER if you haven't really watched. Now blood and gore may not be your thing, that's fine. It's not my husband's thing, he's only watched mere minutes of this show each year. And it's been on plenty in my house, I've watched from day one. As soon as I start watching it, he leaves the room. He's just not into any medical drama, never has been, never will be. Me? I loved St. Elsewhere and when ER premiered it filled that medical drama void, St. E left me with.

Now all that said, ER doesn't quite rank up there with my beloved St. Eligioius, IMHO anyway, but it comes darn close.

Mary

[coriolis]

OK, it's good to hear from people who actually watch it. Sounds like its a quality show. So excuse my rant.

But is it really necessary to see all the body parts?
I mean what's next, the really private parts? Mangled limbs? Crispy Critters? (EMT for burn fatality. That wasn't very nice was it? But it makes a point about being graphic). I just think that you can get a lot of effect without being graphic.

I've been in the emergency room enough times with my own kids, (just yesterday, in fact) and I've seen enough blood and gore, that I know I don't want to see it on tv.

And in all those visits, I have never seen an incividual with his or her "privacy" compromised. Each person is put in a little room with a curtain.

So that brings me back to the beginning: They're pushing the limit, good show or bad. Maybe a good show is a better vehicle to push limits. Then it will have its defenders.