Parents Television Council Angered by Sons of Anarchy Sex Montage
FX’s Sons of Anarchy has angered the Parents Television Council due to the fact that the basic cable series opened up last week’s episode with a series of sex scenes. The sequence showcased the emotional state of several of the series’ main characters. And for those that were paying attention, it also featured plenty of star Charlie Hunnam’s posterior assets. The montage featured six couples indulging in various sexual acts (and one character was masturbating). It was dubbed “the fucktage” by show insiders.
PTC President Tim Winter: “It’s official: In order to watch cable news, ESPN, Disney or the History Channel, every family in America must now also pay for pornography on FX. Last week’s episode of Sons of Anarchy opened with the most sexually explicit content we’ve ever seen on basic cable, content normally found on premium subscription networks like HBO or Showtime … If FX wants to be like HBO and air this kind of explicit content, then they should become a premium network … Families should not be forced to underwrite pornography. Cable Choice is a solution whose time has come, and there could hardly be a better example of it than this.”
It’s worth mentioning that Sons of Anarchy airs at 10pm ET and that FX runs a TV-MA advisory warning before the show (and after every commercial break).
H/T: Inside TV @ EW
FX Renews American Horror Story: Freak Show Sets Ratings Record
FX has announced the fifth season renewal of American Horror Story. The 13-episode Season 5 will premiere in October 2015.
The news comes after the series reached new heights with the Season 4 premiere which is subtitled Freak Show. Overnight ratings showed that the premiere was watched by 6.1 million viewers and a 3.1 18-49 rating — both franchise highs. With Live+3 DVR playback now factored in, Freak Show‘s season premiere was viewed by 10 million total viewers, with 6.5 million landing in the 18-49 demo, becoming the most watched telecast in FX’s 20-year history.
H/T: TVLine
FX Renews The Strain for Season Two
FX has renewed the vampire-virus thriller The Strain, from executive producers Guillermo del Toro and Carlton Cuse, for a 13-episode second season that will debut in summer 2015.
John Landgraf (CEO, FX Networks and FX Productions): “It is thrilling when you have a show that is a creative and commercial hit, which is a rare accomplishment in this increasingly crowded marketplace. We look forward having [The Strain] on FX for as long as Carlton, Guillermo and Chuck Hogan need to tell this epic tale.”
The Strain drew 12.7 million total viewers for its series premiere. The horror series has averaged 4.5 million viewers for first-run episodes, including DVR playback. That number jumps to 11 million viewers across if you fold in repeats, On Demand and online viewership. Among adults ages 18 to 49, FX claims the show is the highest-rated new basic cable drama of 2014.
H/T: Inside TV @ EW