Broadcast Standards and Practices

This article is written
from the Real World perspective

Broadcast Standards and Practices was a department of most television networks, such as ABC, NBC and other networks.

Their responsibility was to maintain moral standards for TV, to make sure that content doesn't get too violent or feature anything else that might be considered adult content, or at least not appropriate for young children.

This department did indeed take a toll on the Superfriends series, and many other cartoons of the era. After all, the Super Friends was intended to be a superhero cartoon, which was well-rooted in the action genre in comic books. And so the trouble was trying to make an action series without having any real amount of action in it. After all, most action scenes from films and comic books were considered too violent at the time.

History[]

The Broadcast Standards and Practices were fairly relaxed in the 1960s, as shooting, punching, and even the occasional death was not out of the ordinary in cartoons like The New Adventures of Superman, The Adventures of Aquaman and Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder. It was also very common to see characters smoking, as Perry White was almost always smoking a cigar.

But after several protests from a group called Action for Children's Television, many of this stuff would no longer be allowed on Saturday morning cartoons, as it was deemed inappropriate for children. Eventually, the N.P.P. TV cartoons that were made by Filmation were canceled as a result. And any future project that they did that was based on DC Comics, such as The New Adventures of Batman, for example; was seriously toned down as far as action was concerned. Even the Penguin know longer had a cigarette or cigarette holder. Hanna-Barbera cartoons met the same fate. By the time the Superfriends came out, it basically reduced the Justice League of America to a "Scooby-Doo with super powers" show.

Although the second season was a major improvement, as at least the series had actual supervillains in the show. The Raven was the only villain from season one. Season two had plenty of supervillains, some of whom were even from the comics, such as Manta and Gentleman Ghost. Still, it lacked much action or depth.

Perhaps the all-time high for the series would be in season 3, which would really never be surpassed, at least until the final season. What made this season stand out, was its' inclusion of so many supervillains from the comic books, which were all part of a team called the Legion of Doom. There were even zombies and vampires in that season. Even though the action was still fairly tame, it was quite a leap forward compared to previous seasons of the series. Season 4 had unique genre-bending episodes and the theme song was reminiscent of a horror story, with many spooky images, such as a head rising up from molten rock, and a giant that looked like something out of an anime...but not something that you'd see in an American Saturday morning cartoon.

Still, those scenes were exclusive to the opening theme rather than being shown in any actual episode of the show. This might have been due to the backlash that Broadcast Standards and Practices gave to the animators regarding the use of content that would be deemed too scary for children.

During the 1980s, Broadcast Standards and Practices started to become a bit more relaxed again, as action cartoons throughout the '80s began to become more popular again, such as The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Action figures might have had something to do with this, as the goal was to tie many cartoons into toylines. Most action figures had accessories such as guns and swords and things, and so that might have been the reason for the decision to change things for children's TV.

A very rare example of nudity in a cartoon, which apparently went unnoticed by the Broadcast Standards and Practices^[2]

This especially manifests itself in the final two seasons of the Super Friends, with the inclusion of Darkseid, a very scary villain for young children at least. It seems likely that episodes such as The Fear or The Death of Superman would have never been allowed in any of the earlier seasons.

By the 1990s, a television rating system was put in place so as to give parents guidelines on what they might want to allow their kids to watch on television. Although this didn't stop Broadcast Standards and Practices from doing their job, it allowed them to be a bit more relaxed if they chose to be, and let the rating system help parents in that regard. The rating system as it rated the various Superfriends and related series can be seen below.

TV Parental Guidelines[]

TV-Y[]

(All Children) - This program is designed to be appropriate for all children. Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children. Equivalent to soft G for movies and former EC and current soft E for video games.

TV-Y7[]

(All Children 7 and Up) - This program is designed for children age 7 and above. Designed for children age 7 and older. The FCC states that it "may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality". The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating contain mild fantasy and comedic violence.

TV-Y7-FV[]

(Directed to Older Children - Fantasy Violence) - Programs where fantasy violence may be more intense or more combative than other programs in this category will be designated TV-Y7-FV. Equivalent to soft PG for movies and soft E10+ for video games.

TV-G[]

(General Audience) - Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children (because TV-Y uses it), most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations. Equivalent to G for movies and E for video games. It is the only standard rating to be an E/I rating.

TV-PG[]

(Parental Guidance Suggested) - This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and/or the program may contain one or more of the following: some suggestive dialogue (D), infrequent coarse language (L), some sexual situations (S), or moderate violence (V). Equivalent to PG for movies and E10+ for video games.