Between Nina Tassler's tantalizing promise that CBS would "push the envelope" and the Parents Television Council's early condemnation of the program as "one of the most sexually indulgent shows we've seen on broadcast television in a long time," you'd had thought "Swingtown" was the Sodom and Gomorrah of summer television, wall to wall with hot bodies and steamy sex.

Ironically, the PTC actually oversold the show's salaciousness. And a wary CBS seems to have undersold the sizzle it did have.

But apart from Lana Parrilla's eye-catching retro swimwear and the recurring nods to amorous air crews, "Swingtown" turned out to be a compelling family drama -- not exactly for the family, but about the family.

While its opening credits breezily flipped through the iconic images of the decade (from Jimmy Carter campaign buttons to Farrah Fawcett's famous poster) "Swingtown" at its core has been all about reflective pauses: a suburban couple who married early and wonder about the roads not taken; a pair of wedded traditionals buffeted by the changes in society and their own gender roles; teens looking to find their own path while their parents veered from the traditional one. Adding further irony -- given all the hype about the show's presumed assault on mainstream morality -- even the show's swinging adventurers, Tom and Trina, ended up heading down the road toward conventionality as they pondered the responsibility of having a child.

For a perspective on why some people are having a hard time with the content of CBS' "Swingtown," check out this interview with Shannon C. Barry of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., from Variety.com's On the Air blog.

The reviews are still rolling in on "Swingtown," and we're not talking about the kind from Brian Lowry and his ilk.

Variety's general news inbox has been getting a steady stream of form-letter complaint emails (a representative sample is posted below, with the complainers address removed) about the period CBS drama that revisits the era of spouse-swapping, Quaadludes and wide lapels, etc.

Some folks seem to be pretty upset about this, even though virtually every MSM review of the show has noted that in fact a whole lot of suggestion but very little sex.

These emails, addressed to Variety's D.C. bureau, appear to be copies of complaints sent to local CBS affils -- hence the request for us to "place a copy of my complaint in your files according to FCC regulations." (Last time we checked, the office of Peter Bart is the regulatory agency that governs Variety.)

The Federal Communications Commission could conceivably take indecency action against CBS affiliates in Mountain and Central time zones that air "Swingtown" at 9 p.m., an hour before the "safe harbor" block of 10 p.m.-6 a.m. where programming cannot be policed by the FCC. It's interesting that the letters don't refer to "Swingtown" as being "indecent" but "offensive" and a violation of "local community standards."

The "community standards" issue is one aspect that the FCC considers in indecency cases (judging its by recent decisions) but the real litmus test is whether or not the material offers a graphic depiction of "sexual or excretory organs or activities."

Again, for all the coupling hinted at in "Swingtown," there's not a whole lot sexual and certainly no excretory stuff on screen. But in the eyes of the Parents Television Council, which seems to be behind these emails, "Swingtown" has the power to "drive a stake through the institutions of marriage and family," according to a PTC press release issued Monday urging CBS affils to refuse to carry the show.

-- Cynthia Littleton

Teresa Poindexter

Santa Clarita, CA 91350-2136

June 9, 2008

Variety

1627 K St NW, 10th Fl

Washington, DC 20006

Dear Variety:

I am offended by the content of the CBS program "Swingtown." The offensive content clearly violates our local community standards and does not reflect your license obligation "to serve the public interest."

I urge you to refuse to air future episodes of "Swingtown."

I also ask you to place a copy of my complaint in your files according to FCC regulations.

Sincerely,

Teresa Poindexter

"Swingtown" opened at 10 p.m. to 8.6 million viewers and 2.7 rating/8 share in the adults 18-49 demo, per prelim Nielsens (in the final nationals "Swingtown" went up a tick in the demo to 2.8/8). The '70s-centric drama built ever so slightly on its 9 p.m. lead-in, a "CSI" rerun (9.4 mil, 2.3/7) in the demo and held most of its viewers.

"Fear Itself" opened to 5.2 million viewers and 2.0/6 in 18-49, coming out of the last hour of a 90-minute "Last Comic Standing" (5.3 million, 2.4/7).

Given the sexy subject matter and heavy promotion CBS has given "Swingtown," the initial sampling might've been a little stronger, but the Lakers and Celtics probably took a bite out of the potential male aud for the show. It'll be interesting to see if "Swingtown" gets much of a bump when the Live Plus 7 DVR viewing numbers are factored in.

As for the opening salvo of the NBA championship, which saw the Celtics handily beat the Lakers 98-88, reliable national estimates for ABC's live game coverage won't be available until later today. Prelim numbers indicate a solid, if not spectacular, turnout for the game. Friday afternoon update: Yep, it was solid if not eye-popping. Lakers-Celtics bout drew 13.4 million viewers and 5.4/17 in adults 18-49.

While it's true that the networks are throwing every questionable reality concept against the wall this summer to see what sticks, TV lovers should not despair. Cable is roaring back with plenty of superb programming and the networks are offering the occasional quality scripted fare to keep us entertained during the hot months.

So there's plenty of small screen delights to tide us over until the granddaddy of all event programming, the Summer Olympics, arrives Aug. 8-24 with hundreds of hours of real-life drama on NBC and its sister networks.

Before you plop down on the couch and glaze over watching the likes of "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" or "Celebrity Circus," set your Tivo for some of these gems:

This viewer's picks:

New series

"Fear Itself" (NBC, Thursdays at 10 p.m., starting June 5) — A repurposed version of Showtime's "Masters of Horror," this anthology series brings the best horror scribes and directors in the biz together for hourlong episodes appropriate for broadcast audiences. (The net promises more chills on the DVD set.) I'm particularly looking forward to the episode titled "Eater," about a rookie cop ("Mad Men's" Elisabeth Moss, right) who spends her first night in the precinct guarding a serial killer.
Brian: I liked the potential of "Masters of Horror" and the pedigree was great, but it was pretty uneven, and I'd worry that "broadcast-friendly" means that storylines get even further diluted to be mass-appeal. Plus, horror film fests like After Dark, and its extensive DVD brand, have stolen some thunder from the TV anthology format. There's plenty of horror out there for fans who want it. How much regular auds will be drawn to it on TV is a big question mark.

"Swingtown" (CBS, Thursdays at 10 p.m., starting June 5) — The pilot for this '70s-era romp about suburban promiscuity and open marriages was promising. I look forward to seeing where they go with it. See Season Pass panelist Cynthia Littleton's take on episode two.
Brian: "Swingtown" felt to me like a promising attempt to bring edgier cable-style material to broadcast TV. But the execution was fairly timid, and selling a show about sexy swingers without much sex doesn't give me much hope. I do love Molly Parker ("Deadwood" has a lot of residual goodwill in my book) and I'll stick around to see how the show develops through episode three.

Returning series:

"Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation" (Animal Planet, Fridays at 9 p.m., starting June 6) — Who knew these odd little critters led such fascinating lives?
Brian: I'm in! "Manor" fans will be keen to see if Flower power still rules, or whether the too-hip promos for the new generation will dilute the charms of the first seasons. Will Stockard Channing prove a better voice for the 'Kats' exploits than Sean Astin?

"My Boys" (TBS, Thursdays at 9:30, starting June 12) — I can't wait to hang out with this tomboy Chicago sports reporter and her posse of beer-swilling, poker-playing dudes for a second season.
Brian: I'm from Chicago, and these stereotypes feel a little clunky, but the girl was cute and thanks to some buzz, I may give this one a shot.

"The Closer" (TNT, Mondays at 9 p.m., staring July 14) — Kyra Sedgwick's tour de force performance as sweet as pie on the outside, tough as nails on the inside Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson elevates this to something above your standard murder of the week procedural. I'm in for season four.
Brian: This and Holly Hunter's show carry some heft in my book thanks to the star pedigree. But it wasn't enough to get me to sample either so far, and isn't likely to in the future. Still feels a little Lifetime-ish to me.

"Mad Men" (AMC, Sundays at 10 p.m., starting July 27) — This sterling period drama is back for its hotly anticipated second season. The cabler is helpfully running a marathon of season one on July 20 as a primer for new viewers or a refresher for returning viewers. The "Carousel" pitch for the Kodak slide projector from the season-one finale titled "The Wheel" may very well have been the finest scene of the last TV season, broadcast or cable. Despite the implausible twist involving Peggy in that same episode, I am enthusiastically, eagerly on board for the further adventures of these dapper 1960s ad men and the complicated women in their lives.
Brian: I've set my DVR for the July 20 marathon. This may be my catch-up show of the year.

Reality that doesn't make us cringe

"So You Think You Can Dance" (Fox, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8, bowed in May) — The dance competition enters the serious phase of the contest as only the best move on.
Brian: I can't read that without giggling.

"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" (Bravo, Thurdays at 9, staring June 12) — Sure she can grate on your nerves, but she's damn funny. (Pictured left)

"Project Runway" (Bravo, July date TBD) — It doesn't get better than this competition reality series where the sometimes overly dramatic contestants reap what they sew. Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Tim Gunn are worth making a weekly date with. This is the last season on Bravo before the show packs its garment bags and moves to Lifetime.
Brian: I've got plenty of friends who remain diehard fans, so I'm sure to see some episodes. But like "America's Next Top Model," it seems like there's always a new season of "Runway" just around the corner, so no single run ever real stands out.

See what else summer has to offer on the next page.

— By Kathy Lyford with Brian Cochrane 

Special thanks to Rick Kissell

"Swingtown" gets points for originality and an ambitious premise.

But it took episode two to convince me of this. The pilot that so many critics have praised left me kinda cold. I didn't buy the storyline that unfolded for the primary character, suburban Chicago homemaker Susan Miller, played by Molly Parker.

During the the bicentennial summer of '76, she's drawn semi-reluctantly into a fast-lane life of bed-hopping and Quaalude-dropping after she and her stock broker husband, Bruce (Jack Davenport), and their two children, teenager Laurie and preteen B.J., move to a swankier part of the suburbs. The new neighbors there are a more stereotypically '70s types: Grant Show's Tom Decker sports a  handlebar mustache and loud-print shirts unbuttoned to his navel; Lana Parrilla is the former flight attendant Trina  (Tom is a successful pilot) who now lives it up in a fancy house and a kid-free "open" marriage.

I found it hard to believe in the pilot that beautiful-but-frumpy Susan, a woman depicted as being torn about moving away from the family's old house and old neighborhood pals, would be so easily and quickly drawn into the unconventional world (and bed) of her sex-addled new neighbors. I think that was mostly pilot-itis and the need to fire up the plot engine for the remaining first batch of episodes.

Without giving anything away, our second visit with the Millers addresses some of my complaints by bring more depth to the storytelling. And it does a much better job of harnessing its period-piece potential in examining the bigger-picture of a moment in recent history when social norms and mores were very much in transition (sound familiar?).

The show does not hinge on the titillating sex (which is more suggested than shown, natch) in the pilot. The characters and setting are a prism for reflecting on how gender roles and stereotypes have changed, or not, during the past 30 years; how women deal with the marriage-kids-career juggling act; how men and women are expected to relate to one another; and how bad parenting, really bad parenting, is painful to watch in any era.

(Pictured above from left, Molly Parker, Jack Davenport, Lana Parrilla and Grant Show)

Welcome to Season Pass, Variety.com’s blog for dishing about fall’s new scripted TV shows.
We wanted to give readers a wide range of opinions on the fall fare so eight of us spent a good chunk of our summer watching all of it. We like to complain, but it was really kind of fun.

Each of us has rated all the shows using four categories:

Love it, setting a season pass now

Worth another try

OK, but not for me

Won't watch again

"Reaper" (below) was one show that took us all by surprise. I did not expect to like it and it ended up being one of my favorites

The shows that rated the highest (one or two thumbs up) among our group of TV junkies were: ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” (seven season passes), NBC’s “Chuck” (four season passes), the CW’s “Reaper” (six season passes), CBS’ “Big Bang Theory” (three season passes), the CW’s “Gossip Girl,” (one season pass), Fox’s “Back To You” (one season pass) and CBS’ midseason entry “Swingtown” (one season pass).

See the chart for more details.

Our opinions are meant as a guide only. We encourage you to give all the shows a try and see for yourself what shows speak to you.

We’ll be blogging after each episode to track the shows’ progress. And we’ll weigh in on topics related to the season.

Have fun and happy channel surfing!