Helen Sloan - HBO’s sex-and-swords drama “Game of Thrones” is one of the top-rated shows for viewers in their 20s.
PASADENA, Calif. — The TV industry should study whether there’s a link between onscreen violence and mass killings such as those last month at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, FX President John Landgraf told TV critics Wednesday.
But, Landgraf said, the incidence of homicide by gun is 90 times higher in the U.S. than in the U.K., and “we consume the same media — same movies, same television show, same video games.”
More from Lisa de Moraes
Pulitzer Prize winner, Peabody recipient, Medal of Freedom honoree -- Lisa de Moraes is none of these, but she is an authority on the bad direction, over-acting, and muddled plot lines being played out in the TV industry's executive suites.
“The major difference between England and the United States is access to, and availability of, guns,” he said at Winter TV Press Tour 2013.
“I’m someone who believes very strongly in both the First Amendment and the Second Amendment, so I believe that we have the right to free speech in this country, and I believe that we have the right to have guns for protection,” said Landgraf, who is much loved by TV critics because he is the only cable TV exec who consistently appears at the tour to take questions on the record.
“But last time I checked, I think a shotgun or a handgun that has a six-round clip are . . . perfectly adequate weapons for self-defense in the home. I think it was yesterday, it came out that the crazy man . . . who shot up the movie theater in Aurora got off — it was either 27 shots in 30 seconds or 30 shots in 27 seconds. . . . You simply can’t create that kind of mayhem if you have to reload.”
Asked about the pile-on of violent TV shows, Landgraf said: “We’re animals — our greatest fear is death, and if you want to rivet people . . . you’re going to tend to hover around questions of life and death, because that’s the thing that rivets our attention.”
He noted that the top-rated dramas/miniseries on cable among young viewers (who are coveted by advertisers) are: AMC’s zombie drama “The Walking Dead,” History’s “Hatfields & McCoys,” HBO’s vampire drama “True Blood,” Fox’s biker-gang drama “Sons of Anarchy,” FX’s horror anthology “American Horror Story” and HBO’s sex-and-swords drama “Game of Thrones.”
“The top six are all in some way about violence,” he said. “Let’s not kid ourselves; that will always be very compelling for people to watch.
He noted that such shows as “The Walking Dead” and “Sons of Anarchy” are tailored to appeal to viewers in their 20s.
“You think it’s just that younger people’s fears tend to go more towards zombies?” one critic asked.
“I do,” Landgraf said. “I’m 50. I worry about cancer.”
Rock on Glocks
Chris Rock — the exec producer of FX’s late-night show “Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell” — famously suggested years ago in his stand-up routine that guns should be made available to anyone, but that bullets should cost $5,000 a pop.
On Wednesday, Rock updated that line: He suggested that instead, only those who have mortgages should be allowed to own guns.
“The gun lobby . . . says people need to be able to protect their property, but every mass shooting is done by guys who live with their mother.
“So I believe you should need to have a mortgage to buy a gun. A mortgage is a real background check.”
Kimmel’s new night
On Jimmy Kimmel’s first night in his new time slot, Jay Leno won the late-night ratings war.
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