“Darkness Has Settled Over American Television”

Coleman Luck is a Hollywood screenwriter, television producer, and a member of the PTC’s Advisory Board. Recently, Luck discussed the current state of TV – and the fact that television writers almost never consider the effect their stories may have on the audience. As Luck wrote to PTC President Tim Winter: "I have a lot of sympathy for writers and producers in network television because that's where I spent most of my career. I created several series and was what is called a 'showrunner.' That's the person responsible for all the creative activity on a TV series. The pressure and stress levels are amazing. In Hollywood, it's understood that few writers can handle the job. I've employed many Hollywood writers and know how they work. One thing is certain, when they are creating stories and writing scripts almost never do they think about the effect of those TV episodes on the audience. You write hoping people will like it, that's all. There's so little time to think of anything else. What you write comes out of who you are. Over the past decades, a kind of darkness has settled over much of the storytelling in American television and it is having a deep effect on the audience. Never has the work of PTC been more important, first, by asking those who produce and air programs to think about the children and young people who will experience their creations, and, second, when they refuse to have any moral concern, to bring other pressures to bear. PTC stands alone in this vital work and I stand with them. I hope you will as well."