LOS ANGELES (November 17, 2014) – The Parents Television Council is denouncing the FX network for airing the
most sexually explicit content the PTC has ever documented on basic cable. The November 11th episode of “Sons of Anarchy” opened
with approximately two and one-half minutes of graphically depicted sex among several couples. The explicit content, of the type previously available only
on a la carte premium networks or pay-per-view, aired as early as 9 pm in half of the country.
Media Post
described this scene like this
:
“This sequence … featured seven couples in the act of intense lovemaking. … For the record, this sequence left nothing to the
imagination. It was probably the rawest sex I have ever seen depicted on TV outside of HBO and Showtime -- and that’s saying a lot.”
“It’s official: In order to watch cable news, ESPN, Disney or the History Channel, every family in America must now also pay for pornography on
FX. Last week’s episode of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ opened with the most sexually explicit content we’ve ever seen on basic cable, content
normally found on premium subscription networks like HBO or Showtime,” said PTC President Tim Winter.
“For years FX has been pursuing a path to be as explicit as HBO, yet still be included in the forced-bundle of advertiser-supported networks that
every cable or satellite subscriber must purchase through their monthly bill. If FX wants to be like HBO and air this kind of explicit content, then they
should become a premium network. But they won’t, because the cartel-like leverage they currently enjoy is too lucrative. And if history is our guide,
we should expect a host of other basic cable networks to air similar – or even more explicit – content in the name of ‘staying
competitive.’
“Families should not be forced to underwrite pornography. Cable Choice is a solution whose time has come, and there could hardly be a better example
of it than this. We call on Congress, the FCC and the Federal Courts to give cable consumers real choice when it comes to deciding which networks they
actually want to purchase.”