FOX STIRS UP THE POT WITH SITCOM

Television: Implied use of alcohol and marijuana by teens on a fall pilot
brews controversy.

The fall TV season is still a few months away, but already concerns have
been raised over the pilot episode for a new comedy scheduled by Fox that
derives some of its humor from a group of teens obtaining beer and smoking
marijuana.

Although they have not yet seen "Feelin' All Right," two anti-drug groups
have criticized the pilot, saying that any comedic depiction of teenage
marijuana use is irresponsible. The series is scheduled to air Sundays at
8:30 p.m. after "The Simpsons," which last year averaged about 2.5 million
viewers a week between the ages of 2 and 11.

Executive producers Terry Turner and Mark Brazill and Fox Entertainment
President Peter Roth acknowledged that some scenes in the pilot may be
controversial, and that they are concerned about audience reaction. But they
defended the series on grounds that it is set in the 1970s, a period when
they said the use of alcohol and marijuana among young people was
commonplace, as chronicled in films such as "Dazed and Confused," "Boogie
Nights" and "The Last Days of Disco."

Said Fox programming chief Roth: " 'Feelin' All Right' explores the
experience of an eclectic group of teens growing up in the 1970s. While the
pilot touches on the subject, there are no plans at this time to include or
imply drug use in future story lines. We are confident that the show's
creators and producers will deliver a responsible, quality television series
suitable for our viewers."

Roth has had discussions with the producers about possibly "tweaking" some
of the scenes in the pilot to show consequences for the drug use, although
Turner insisted, "We're not going to turn this into an 'ABC After-School
Special.' "

The series, a Carsey-Werner Co. production that stars a group of young
unknowns, revolves around a group of high school students living in Point
Place, a suburb of Green Bay, Wis. In one of the first scenes, the teens,
including Eric Forman (Topher Grace), are gathered in the basement of the
Forman family house while Eric's parents hold a party upstairs. Eric is
recruited to get some beer and bring it downstairs. He is successful, but
the youths are not shown drinking the prized catch.

Later in the episode, several of the teens are gathered around a table in
the basement after smoking pot. No drugs or paraphernalia are shown, but the
friends are giggling and babbling nonsensically, and whiffs of smoke can be
seen. When Eric's parents call for him to come upstairs, the boys quickly
open the outside basement door and try to fan the smoke and odor into the yard.

As Eric talks with his parents in the next scene, they are shown addressing
him while he hallucinates that the wall behind them is moving. There is
uproarious laughter on the soundtrack.

Leigh Leventhal, spokeswoman for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, a
private nonprofit coalition of communication professionals, said: "I haven't
seen the show, but it just sounds like they're treating pot and getting
drunk as if it's a light, funny thing to do. The issue is much more complex.
There are no consequences shown. I understand it may be funny, but that may
not be enough. Do we want kids to see drugs as being hilarious?"

Said Turner, one of the creators of the hit "3rd Rock From the Sun": "
'Feelin' All Right' is about a rite of passage. We are concerned about the
reaction to a couple of scenes, but one of the things we wanted to do was
portray the attitudes of the '70s. We are not endorsing drug use, but for us
to deny that any of this was happening would not be right.

"We hate doing stuff that would show contempt for the audience," he added.
"It's like talking down to them. We have to be more honest, to show the
stupidity of using drugs, like having the kids zone out and miss a concert
they really wanted to go to. That's more honest and real."

Anti-drug advocates have long criticized Hollywood for depicting the casual
use of alcohol and drugs for entertainment purposes. In a 1997 radio
address, President Clinton said he regretted that "movies, music videos and
magazines" often have promoted "warped images of a dream world where drugs
are cool" and have failed to highlight their potentially harmful effects.

Even though "Feelin' All Right" is taking place in a bygone era, said Alan
Leavitt, a spokesman for the the White House Drug Control Office, the show's
nostalgia element may be lost on children for whom marijuana, alcohol and
other drugs remain a reality of life. "The impact is the same for the kids
watching it," he said.

A recent survey sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found
that 28% of the9- to 12-year-old respondents reported being offered drugs in
1997, compared to 24% the year before and 19% in 1993. Children's exposure
to marijuana, as measured by the statement that they had close friends who
used marijuana sometimes, doubled from 7% in 1993 to 14% in 1997. The survey
also found that 7% of sixth-graders had tried marijuana at least once, a
figure that grew to 23% among seventh-graders and 31% among eighth-graders.

As for the show's time slot, Turner argued that commercials for violent
movies and TV shows, as well as promos on late-breaking news stories, run
during the early evening hours. He also said that sexual activity between
unmarried couples is often depicted during what was once known as the family
hour.

"We don't think we need to say using drugs is a good or bad thing," Turner
said. "In this day and age, it is a bad thing. TV doesn't need to comment
about that. With all these sexual liaisons taking place with abandon, no one
ever says, 'Oh, of course I use protection.' "

Brazill added: "It would just be a disservice for this show to be buried
under this controversy. We don't want this to be the thing the show is known
for.

It's so much more than that."

Copyright Los Angeles Times

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett