The Fox Broadcasting Co. never fails to provide juicy targets for reporters covering Television Critics Association press tours. There’s always a contingent of critics incensed about the network’s willingness to air shows that seem obsessed with deers attacking hunters or beautiful lawyers in microskirts.
Tuesday, the head of the Fox Entertainment Group, Peter Roth, was greeted with questions about several new sitcoms the writers thought went out of their way to raise the bar on bad taste.
These include “Costello,” in which an outspoken female bartender shares her politically incorrect opinions with everyone; “That ’70s Show,” a “retro-hip” look at the era, and “The PJs,”a semi-animated comedy from Eddie Murphy’s production company about life in a housing project.
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Adopting an I-can-feel-your-pain defense, Roth responded: “It’s not our intention to return to crudeness. With such shows as `Ally McBeal,’ `Party of Five,’ `The X-Files’ and `The Simpsons,’ I think there’s room for a wide variety of fare . . . As long as there’s balance, there will be room for a `Melrose Place’ and `The World’s Wildest Police Chases.’ “