The ABC crime/drama NYPD Blue premiered in Fall, 1993. It was greeted with strong criticism for its supposed graphic portrayals of sex and frequency of indecent language. The present study was undertaken to examine the validity of these charges. A content analysis of NYPD Blue and selected programs appearing on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox was conducted to ascertain if NYPD Blue contains more sexual acts and references and risque language than other prime time fare. NYPD Blue and eight prime time programs were videotaped over a three week period. Three additional episodes of NYPD Blue were randomly selected and recorded. Contrary to the critics’ assertions, the results show that NYPD Blue contains less sexual content than dramas or sitcoms. Indecent language is uttered with the same frequency on NYPD Blue as on sitcoms; dramatic shows contain the least amount of off‐color words. This suggests that the critics’ harsh assessment of NYPD Blue may have been influenced more by pre‐broadcast media reports than by the show's content. Additionally, media reports more accurately reflect the frequency of indecent language than that of sexuality.
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Kaye et al. (1997) studied this question.
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