PTC Pans TLC's 'Sex in Public'

The Parents Television Council is urging TLC to pull reality series Sex in Public, which is scheduled to launch Friday, Oct. 2, at 10 p.m., and telling advertisers not to support it.

In the show, therapist Jill Doctorow "goes undercover" to try and get people on the street—or in stores, parks and other venues—to open up about their sex lives. TLC calls it "helping people who are too shy, too nervous, or too embarrassed to go to a friend, relative, or even a therapist to seek help on their relationships."

PTC sees it differently and is calling on advertisers to steer clear. "Sadly, this once-noble programmer is the latest in a string of basic cable networks using provocative titles and explicit content in a desperate move to attract attention," PTC said. “We are urging advertisers to steer clear of ‘Sex in Public’..."

A show spokesperson had no comment.

Back in June, PTC was able to convince McDonald's Canada not to advertise in Fox's Family Guy, according to a letter PTC received from the company and shared with journalists.

Sex in Public is produced by Barracuda Television Productions.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.