'Headline Dramas' Offer Realism
PUSSSYKATT
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A physician explains the intricacies of embryonic stem
cells, describing them as "the Holy Grail" of medical research for their
potential in treating disease. The mother of a hopelessly comatose patient,
impregnated so the doctor can gain fetal cells despite federal restrictions,
accuses him of using her daughter as a "human petri dish."
A third person weighs in, a wealthy Parkinson's sufferer who funded the
clandestine project. Out of the girl's tragic end, he pleads, "could come a
gift of life for many, many others."
The people are fictional and so are the events. But the moral dilemma is
unnervingly real in this week's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10 p.m.
EST Friday, NBC).
The episode represents a shift in fact-based TV dramas. An established part of
television, they are taking on increasingly complex social issues in a daring
but intelligent and comprehensive way.
"I think viewers like stories that entertain them, educate them and allow them
to put themselves into situations and ask 'What would I do?' — without
feeling they're being talked down to or 'educated,'" said Neal Baer, executive
producer of "Special Victims Unit."
A practicing pediatrician who honed his TV skills on "ER," Dr. Baer felt a
particular urgency when it came to the issue of stem cell research as well as
the lack of sanctions against the taking of human eggs.
"I believe there's a widening gap between what the public knows and understands
about medical research and technology, and I wanted to bring those issues to
the table so people could discuss it," he said.
The hour is both affecting and illuminating, with a touching performance by
JoBeth Williams as the anguished mother and astounding work by Philip Bosco as
the contorted, trembling Parkinson's patient.
Popular culture expert Robert Thompson calls the approach "headline drama," a
genre warmly embraced by audiences. The three editions of "Law & Order," along
with "The West Wing" and "ER" — all of which incorporate topical issues —
are among the 20 top-ranked programs.
Even "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," which has risen to No. 1 with its
technology-laden, just-the-facts-ma'am approach, dipped a toe into genuine
controversy recently.
Forensics investigator Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), facing the
execution of a killer she helped prosecute, asks colleague Warrick Brown (Gary
Dourdan) if he's "pro or con" the death penalty.
"Pro, if he did it," he replies. "The application sucks, though. There's a lot
of brown skin on that row."
Not far down the ratings list is "The Practice," the legal drama that regularly
wades into deep waters. Last Sunday's episode, which revolved around the
Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal, offered introspective discussions of
faith.
"Have you ever thought about leaving the church over it (the crisis)?" attorney
Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) asks fellow Catholic, Jimmy Berluti (Michael
Badalucco).
"No. That would be like leaving God. ... the church is not just the priests,"
Berluti replies. "It's you and me. To leave would be like walking away from
ourselves, who we are — people of God."
In a meeting with his priest, however, Donnell sorrowfully says he won't remain
in the church because "Until you expel every offending priest, everyone
involved with protecting and concealing them, there's no true penance."
The episode was not universally applauded, with the Catholic League accusing
series creator David E. Kelley of exploiting a problem that it says has
involved less than 1.5 percent of priests over 40 years.
Some reservations about the drama also were expressed by Robert Knight,
director of the Concerned Women for America's Culture and Family Institute in
Washington.
But Knight said he was encouraged by another episode of "The Practice" on stem
cell research. He sees it as part of a Hollywood shift toward balance and away
from predictably liberal rhetoric — especially, he contends, on abortion.
"In the right hands, these are very good developments because they tell people
there are two sides to the issue," he said. "Often, the industry and the media
do not give that impression. ... But when there is an actual debate with a
drama, there is at least an opportunity to air differences."
The changes in content reflect changes in production, Baer said. Doctors,
lawyers and police detectives now are hired as writers; some, such as ex-lawyer
Kelley, create and run shows.
In the days of "Dr. Kildare" and "Marcus Welby M.D.," scripts passed into a
doctor's hands only for a quick once-over before they were filmed, he said.
That's one reason for drama's evolution, agrees Thompson, director of the
Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.
But headline drama is part of a larger trend, he contends.
CNN, Fox and other 24-hour news channels, which salt their schedules heavily
with talk shows, have created a general expectation of debate for all of TV,
not to mention society in general, Thompson said.
"That aesthetic style has now bled over into shows that want to look realistic
and therefore need to borrow their style from news, as opposed to the old way
doctor and lawyer shows were made," he said.
Could an argument could be made that TV dramas end up more enlightening than
often-raucous and superficial talk shows?
"In a lot of cases, the intellectual level of the conversation on some of these
dramas is considerably higher than the intellectual level of some of the
shouting going on news channels," Thompson concurred.
The trend will only increase because the news channels fueling it show no sign
of altering their format, he said. Certainly, the source for stories will not
run dry, said Baer, citing the words of "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf.
"As Dick says, the human condition in all of its variations and perversities
will keep us going forever."
NBC: http://www.nbc.com
Culture and Family Institute: http://cultureandfamily.org
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