The Walking Dead was Condemned by the Parent's Television Counsel

The Parents Television Council feels that the season 7 premiere of The Walking Dead crossed the line, Comic Book reports. Don't read ahead if you don't want to be spoiled for the episode in question. You have been warned.

In the premiere, a character called Negan bashes in the heads of two characters with a baseball bat laced with barbed wire, killing them. It's considered the most graphically violent episode of the series to date. The Parent's Television Council, an organization dedicated to "protecting children from sex, violence and profanity in the media", feels the episode went too far.

Last night's season premiere of The Walking Dead was one of the most graphically violent shows we've ever seen on television, comparable to the most violent of programs found on premium cable networks," Parents Television Council president Tim Winter said. It's not enough to 'change the channel,' as some people like to advocate, because cable subscribers — regardless of whether they want AMC or watch its programming — are still forced to subsidize violent content. This brutally explicit show is a powerful demonstration of why families should have greater control over the TV networks they purchase from their cable and satellite providers."

Winter felt The Walking Dead was out of line when looking at the guidelines that are given for TV ratings. The Walking Dead is rated TV-MA, which means its unsuitable for children under 17. "When you look at definition of MA and what content of the show is, it's unquestionable they chose what best represented the content," Winter said. "This certainly raises question of if there should be an even more severe rating than TV MA. I understand violence is inherent to the storytelling here but the manner in which the depictions were made … it crossed the line."

Meanwhile, executive producer Greg Nicotero is standing by the show and its content. "It's unfortunate that people want to take a negative spin on it because as far as I'm concerned I'm dedicated to watching a show to see where it goes next," he said. "That means we have done something to affect these people in a way they don't necessarily know how to process."

The episode was certainly brutal, but I feel the TV-MA rating was sufficient to warn audiences for the most part. What do you think? Do you agree The Walking Dead crossed the line?

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