Too Ugly for Primetime?
We’ve heard that Criminal Minds is unoriginal and unimaginative. Ironically, it has also been criticized for being too graphic for primetime viewing. So a show that doesn’t stand out is more grusome than the others?
“There are minds I don’t want to penetrate, crimes I don’t want to see,” writes Robert Bianco (USA TODAY). ” 
Perhaps it’s the signature scene: a caged woman, duct tape on her eyes, crying, screaming, struggling, as the killer clips her already bloody nails to stop her from scratching at her blindfold. Or perhaps it’s the plot itself, which plays like a how-to guide for sexual predators. Obviously, Criminal will find new crimes to explore in the future and equally gruesome ways to kill. (The next episode opens with a boy being burned to death.) But shows such as this are designed to sell on their first assault — and lately, the victim is always a woman. That’s where these shows compete, as they struggle to find new, ever more disgusting forms of abuse.
This is appropriate prime-time entertainment?
True, it’s not “appropriate prime-time television” for young children. But I know that when Criminal Minds comes on, my daughter is in bed. Even if she weren’t, I wouldn’t allow her to watch it. For everyone else, it’s up to them. It’s certainly appropriate for adults who choose to watch.
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