Scrubs: the art of editing US shows

Posted: 20-02-08

As viewers write in to Channel 4 querying the necessity of giving Scrubs a serious edit, the Viewers’ Editor goes in search answers. She ends up wondering how TV-on-demand will change the rules of the game.

Several E4 viewers got in touch this week about Scrubs (E4 weekdays 12.05, repeated 1800 and 00.05), the award-winning US hospital-based comedy. In their opinion the recent editing of a programme removed too much material, making the storyline hard to follow. One viewer was particularly confused that some of the material removed from an E4 version of Scrubs, was kept in on the version shown on the Paramount Comedy channel (Paramount is also showing Scrubs Series 4 before the 9pm watershed).

My quest took me to the editorial team for Acquisitions. They explained that Channel 4, like all broadcasters, is bound by the rules and regulations of Ofcom. However the policy for language and other content for pre-watershed shows is stricter for channels such as E4 and More4, because they, unlike Paramount Comedy (which is a subscription-only channel), are available free on the Freeview platform. Free-to-air channels are, potentially, available to a broader audience during the day, including younger people, so sensitive material and content deemed inappropriate for under 15s must be removed from US shows such as Scrubs and The Simpsons. That said, the team are committed to maintaining as much of the narrative of the show as possible.

This is rarely an issue with new series. US acquisitions usually have their first showing in post-watershed slot. So, when Scrubs Series 7 airs later this spring, expect it to be shown later when the content does not need the same editing as repeats. The second showing tends to be earlier in the day – these timeslots attract the best audience, but may include youngsters so requires a pre-watershed version.

The more we talked, the more it became clear that editing TV shows is a bit of an art form. It’s a matter of balancing the timeslot, the likely audience (this also depends on the day of the week, school holidays etc), the public mood about different issues, with the importance of maintaining the storyline.

In the future, the matter may be further confused as it becomes increasingly common to watch programmes on-demand (i.e. whenever you want), either recorded on personal/digital video recorders or through online services such as 4oD, which could also be accessed by children.

But as long as Channel 4 continues to transmit programmes in a linear fashion, the broadcasting regulations mean that shows need to be edited in this way for broadcasts before the watershed.

What is your view of programme editing? Do you think the industry needs to rethink this as we change our viewing habits?

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