‘24′ cuts down on torture scenes.
The Fox TV series ‘24′ will include fewer torture scenes in its final episodes this season. Executive Producer Howard Gordon claimed that the change was not due to pressure from the military, but rather because it had become cliché. “What was once an extraordinary or exceptional moment is starting to feel a little trite. The idea of physical coercion or torture is no longer a novelty or surprise,” Gordon said.
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31 Responses to “‘24′ cuts down on torture scenes.”
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Yes, torture is so common these days and we can thank this administration’s “exercise of restraint” for that one.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:07 pmHere’s a suggestion for Howard, since he’s looking for the “new”: try having the main characters either fight against the idea of torture, or depict people going to prison for it.
Wow, what a new, surprising idea: torture doesn’t work, it’s immoral and against the law. How novel.
It sure would be a surprise turn of events for the wingnuts who treat the show as a guide to life.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:10 pmThis society is so twisted in it’s values. Torture, murder and death are “entertaining” while the act of creating life (sex) is obscene.
They can show a blood spattered corpse on tv, but let someone accidentally show a nipple and all hell breaks loose.
To me that is totally out of whack.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:11 pmIt’s a pretty damning commentary on our society that torture is judged to be cliché and trite.
Thanks again, neocons.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:13 pmSo no more “ticking time bombs” in 24? Kind of defeats the premise of the show.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:14 pmTorture me once… shame on me.
Torture me twice…?
February 15th, 2007 at 12:15 pmWayne,
That’s what happens when wingnuts are in charge.
Another example: the idea that government should be messing around in religion and in your bedroom, but has no place “meddling” in it’s constitutionally-empowered areas such as regulating the economy (managing interstate commerce) and collecting taxes.
Someday, we’ll all look back on this and laugh (we from our front porches, the wingnuts from their padded cells).
February 15th, 2007 at 12:17 pmhttp://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021407F.shtml
February 15th, 2007 at 12:17 pmUS Military Tells Jack Bauer: Cut Out the Torture Scenes … or Else!
By Andrew Buncombe
The Independent UK
Tuesday 13 February 2007
Human Rights First … says that since the terror attacks of September 11, the incidence of torture in television shows has soared. In 2000 there were 42 scenes of torture on prime-time US television while in 2003 there were 228.
…
Meanwhile, last year, when George Bush signed into law a piece of legislation authored by Senator John McCain to prohibit the “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” of prisoners, the White House issued a so-called signing statement in which it insisted the ban could be ignored if the President so authorised.
the only tv show i watch is Lost
they’ve had torture scenes, but something interesting is that after each torutre scene it is revelaed that torture elicited faulty information or no information at all
was good to at least see that truth in display
February 15th, 2007 at 12:23 pmThe conservative cable company Adelphia likes hardcore sex on TV, they were the first to offer it.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:29 pmYeah its ok to see blood and death, but God forbid a little areola.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:30 pmYeah, torture is just no longer cutting edge. Everyone who’s anyone is doing it nowadays. Ho hum.
You know, here’s what I want to know. With all the moral indignation expressed about “Hollywood values” and lack of morality in movies and TV shows, why is torture on TV considered acceptable and a bare female breast considered outrageous?
We are one really screwed up society.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:30 pmSpudge boy,
February 15th, 2007 at 12:32 pmThat’s a start.
Having thier nuts in a vise or being slapped around and whipped like a dog on all fours sounds a lot like foreplay to them, I’ll bet.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:33 pmMission accomplished.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:47 pmI never watch FOX programs, so I could care less what crap they show.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:52 pm24 has helped to define governmental deviance downward to the point that it is acceptable to John and Jane Public, Mission Accomplished.
Now on to defining comedy downward with the lame 1/2 Comedy Schtick.
-GSD
February 15th, 2007 at 1:30 pmThe other creepy as hell aspect is that the Pentagon feels they should tell TV producers how their programs should be.
-GSD
February 15th, 2007 at 1:32 pmI may be vile and pernicious
But you can’t look away.
I make you think I’m delicious
With the stuff that I say.
I’m the best you can get.
Have you guessed me yet?
I’m the slime oozin out
Of your TV set.
— Frank Zappa, “I’m the Slime”
February 15th, 2007 at 1:47 pmFrank Zappa was my next door neighbor when I was a child in California. I was about 4&5 and he was 17&18 at the time. I remember playing out front near the street and he picked me up to take me back to my mother. He would play the drums loudly and neighborhood would complain to his parents. They moved away after he graduated from Claremont High School.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:00 pmTorture is so trite? What have we become?
February 15th, 2007 at 2:22 pm“What have we become?”
Wait, wait, I know. Is it… “fascists?”
February 15th, 2007 at 4:47 pmI have an idea, instead of showing torture on 24, how about choosing not to torture a known terrorist for information and then millions of people die because no intel was received and then the known terrorist laughing because he knew all along.
February 15th, 2007 at 6:16 pmSome movie titles for Bushland Uber Alies and the producers of “24″ to ponder:
February 15th, 2007 at 7:18 pmTHE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM(1967)inspired by Cheney
TORTURE GARDEN(1967)inspired by CHIMPya
THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF BARON BLOOD(1969)inspired by Cheney
THE INCREDIBLE TORTURE SHOW(1976)inspired by Gonzales
CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY(1995)inspired by Hu Jin-tao
DR. TARR’S TORTURE DUNGEON(1973)inspired by John Yoo
DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING(1972)inspired by John Ashcroft
THE INCREDIBLE TORTURE SHOW(1976)inspired by CHIMPya
TOMB OF TORTURE(1963)inspired by David Addington
Bawwring, bawwring, bawwring. Torture is so mainstream now that we can’t even use it for shock value. Great.
February 15th, 2007 at 7:22 pmOr how about this, Stanman: have them showing us torturing the guy, him giving us bogus info, the bomb going off anyway and the terrorist still laughing because he wasn’t about to tell them anything under any circumstances no matter what we did to him. Or, how about this: show us torturing the wrong guy, who really does have no information, and the terrorist laughing because the bomb went off anyway.
Or, we could remain consistent with our stated values, follow our own laws and use a fraction of the money we spend on your cult leader’s wars of choice to shore up our own defenses.
February 15th, 2007 at 7:32 pmStanman,
There’s really no way not to call a spade a spade:
What a truly ignorant, stupid comment you just made.
The chances of your scenario playing out, with torture having been the solution, are basically nil.
Clearly, though, the very idea of some imaginary terrorist laughing at you is cause enough for you to promote torturing people (regardless of any evidence of guilt).
Only someone who has never suffered a damned thing in his life, and has a severely deformed sense of morality, could believe what you evidently do. You’re up there with the racist I-RIGHT-I in my book.
February 15th, 2007 at 8:10 pm“he idea of physical coercion or torture is no longer a novelty or surprise, 
Well…Mission accomplished then…
February 15th, 2007 at 11:21 pm[…] ‘24′ cuts down on torture scenes. The Fox TV series ‘24′ will include fewer torture scenes in its final episodes this season. Executive Producer Howard Gordon claimed that the change was not due pressure from the military, but rather because it had become cliché. “What was once an extraordinary or exceptional moment is starting to feel a little trite. The idea of physical coercion or torture is no longer a novelty or surprise,†Gordon said. That last sentence highlights the very problem with “novelty†or shock programming—that its shelf life is limited. Just as addictive substances require ever larger doses to feel the high, shock programming requires ever escalating shock value. Bear that in mind the next time you wonder why so much television programming shows the most debased human activity. […]
February 16th, 2007 at 7:03 am[…] Think Progress » ‘24′ cuts down on torture scenes. “Executive Producer Howard Gordon claimed that the change was not due pressure from the military, but rather because it had become cliché. “What was once an extraordinary or exceptional moment is starting to feel a little trite.” (tags: irony torture newscorp jackbauer joelsurnow howardgordon 24) […]
February 16th, 2007 at 8:40 amThere have been instances where torture has stopped terrorist attacks. Brian Ross, a highly respected investigative reporter with ABC has reported that 14 top Al Queda agents have been broken by torture. A dozen plots have been stopped to include an airline attack on the tallest building in L.A.
February 16th, 2007 at 9:15 amSorry guys, but it works and it may be the reason thousands of people in L.A. are alive right now.