2:45 pm - 01/08/2013
Deadline reports "The Following" creator and executive producer Kevin Williamson was obliged to defend the jarring level of sex and violence (particularly violence) in his new Fox horror thriller as the network kicked off its day at TCA this morning. Critics peppered Williamson with questions about whether television shows like this one may be part of the problem with society.
“I think we all worry about [the violence issue],” Williamson admitted. “Who wasn’t affected by Sandy Hook? We [sat] in the writers room after that and were all traumatized by it. I know that when I put pen to paper, it affects me, but I’m not sure how,” Williamson said. “We don’t sit around [in the writers room] and think of ways to kill people. I’m sitting and thinking of the drama. It’s meant to be a thriller and a provocative story. I guess it is a horrific and scary show but…”
Williamson acknowledged that the violence at Columbine many years ago absolutely inspired "The Following." “The story is shining a light on some of those kids,” he said. But he added that the show is meant to be “a work of fiction.” Thankfully the network hasn’t tried to scale back the level of violence, he maintained. The bigger struggle for him has been continuing to deal with the six-act structure of broadcast television and “how to make something scary when you’re writing to a commercial break.”
Keeping it all in perspective is Kyle Catlett, who plays the 6-year-old boy used as a pawn by James Purefoy's character's followers. Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he said, "I'm allowed to watch almost everything. With my mom's permission." His mother said afterward that the kid was correct. "Nothing scares him," she said. "He saw everything on the set and laughed at it. He knows the difference between make-believe and real life."
Out of the mouths of babes...
"The Following" will premiere on Monday, January 21st, at 9/8c.
Source
Critics have been doing nothing but singing this show's praises since the summer. They've reviewed four episodes and were pretty much unanimous about how good this show is... but now it's what's wrong with society. Okay. At least the show is still getting buzz.
TCA: Surprise! The Following Taking Heat from Critics Over Violent Content
Deadline reports "The Following" creator and executive producer Kevin Williamson was obliged to defend the jarring level of sex and violence (particularly violence) in his new Fox horror thriller as the network kicked off its day at TCA this morning. Critics peppered Williamson with questions about whether television shows like this one may be part of the problem with society.
“I think we all worry about [the violence issue],” Williamson admitted. “Who wasn’t affected by Sandy Hook? We [sat] in the writers room after that and were all traumatized by it. I know that when I put pen to paper, it affects me, but I’m not sure how,” Williamson said. “We don’t sit around [in the writers room] and think of ways to kill people. I’m sitting and thinking of the drama. It’s meant to be a thriller and a provocative story. I guess it is a horrific and scary show but…”
Williamson acknowledged that the violence at Columbine many years ago absolutely inspired "The Following." “The story is shining a light on some of those kids,” he said. But he added that the show is meant to be “a work of fiction.” Thankfully the network hasn’t tried to scale back the level of violence, he maintained. The bigger struggle for him has been continuing to deal with the six-act structure of broadcast television and “how to make something scary when you’re writing to a commercial break.”Keeping it all in perspective is Kyle Catlett, who plays the 6-year-old boy used as a pawn by James Purefoy's character's followers. Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he said, "I'm allowed to watch almost everything. With my mom's permission." His mother said afterward that the kid was correct. "Nothing scares him," she said. "He saw everything on the set and laughed at it. He knows the difference between make-believe and real life."
Out of the mouths of babes...
"The Following" will premiere on Monday, January 21st, at 9/8c.
Source
Critics have been doing nothing but singing this show's praises since the summer. They've reviewed four episodes and were pretty much unanimous about how good this show is... but now it's what's wrong with society. Okay. At least the show is still getting buzz.