The Parents Television Council strongly urged all CBS affiliates, and particularly those in the Central/Mountain time zones, to preempt the new show, Swingtown, which PTC describes as introducing viewers “to a world of drugs and sexual experimentation with the premise of open marriage at its core.”

The first episode, which aired at 9 p.m. in the Central/Mountain time zones, “featured a ménage à trois, an orgy and the characters enjoying drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and Quaaludes,” PTC said.

“The CBS Television Network appears determined to reinvent itself as a cable network. In so doing they also appear determined to ignore common sense broadcast decency standards. We are asking all CBS affiliates to consider preempting this show or to air it later in the evening if they believe the show’s content is not compatible with their community standards of decency,” said PTC President Tim Winter.

“CBS began this year by airing Dexter, a premium cable network show featuring a serial killer ‘hero,’ and it recently began airing extremely violent and bloody cage fighting matches on a program titled, EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, known as mixed martial arts. It’s no coincidence that Dexter and EliteXC Saturday Night Fights originally aired on premium cable networks, or that Swingtown creators intended the program to air on cable,” Winter continued.

“CBS affiliates,” he added, “should reject the network’s pronounced shift to cable fare. In an agreement expected to be signed today with the FCC, the broadcast networks will publicly agree that their affiliates have the right to preempt or reject network programming without fear or reprisal. Though all affiliates currently have the right to preempt or reject network programming, CBS affiliates can lean on this agreement for support to preempt or reject airing ‘Swingtown.’

“Swingtown drives a stake through the institutions of marriage and family and we are warning parents that this show is not suitable for children. While parents are the first and last line of defense, CBS must also take responsibility for its product. Swingtown is one of the most sexually indulgent programs we’ve seen on broadcast television in a long time, but is par for the course in CBS’ race to the bottom of vile and violent television programming. This show should not be on broadcast television—period.

“Because Swingtown airs as early as 9 p.m., CBS has ensured that more children will have access to this content. CBS affiliates must act to protect the community standards of decency throughout this country and pre-empt or reject airing this show. With today’s agreement, CBS affiliates now have no excuse, as they claimed when it came to airing Dexter. We will hold them accountable for obeying community standards of decency.”