"NYPD Blue," ABC-TV drama

Description of the Art Work: "NYPD Blue" is a gritty police drama in the mold of Bochco's earlier effort "Hill Street Blues." The show has featured short scenes of partial nudity and the use of some profane language, including the words, "asshole," "son of a bitch," "turd," "dickhead" and "bastard."
Description of incident: Before the series began airing on September 21, 1993, the Rev. Donald Wildmon and the American Family Association began a two-pronged campaign, to convince ABC affiliates around the country to not air the show, and to have its members boycott any sponsor of the show. Articles about the AFA's campaign and successes (it never talks about its boycott failures, of course) have appeared in every issue of the AFA Journal since "NYPD Blue" was first shown to affiliates during the summer of 1993. The AFA describes the show as "softcore pornography . . . unprecedented in the history of television." The AFA's principal targets are General Motors and Warner-Lambert Company, manufacturer of Listerine, Certs breath mints, Super Schick II razors and Trident gum. The group claims more than 50 ABC affiliates have refused to air the show, mostly stations in Bible Belt states.
Results of incident: The popular show continues to air with full advertiser support. Renewed for another season.

Source: AFA Journal