ITV’s new TV series “Jekyll and Hyde” has been hit with hundreds of complaints that the show is “too scary” for its time slot of 6:30pm on Sundays. This comes two and a half hours before their watershed, or basically the time when they deem it appropriate to being broadcasting programs that feature adult content.
According to The Guardian, TV regulator Ofcom received nearly 460 complaints and the TV station itself got over 300, bringing the total up to nearly 800 total complaints.
The site explains, “Jekyll and Hyde featured potentially disturbing images from the start, with one character bludgeoned to death within the first minute, and further violent deaths including someone being set on fire and another being shot in the stomach.”
Ofcom says that it will conduct an investigation to see if the station needs to move the program to a later time slot. However, ITV has already stated that they have no plans to reschedule the remaining nine episodes, which were already scheduled for 7pm, a half hour later than the premiere episode.
“ITV always considers carefully the content of its programming, and of course suitability for younger audiences is something we care about and give a great deal of thought to, hence our very specific announcement highlighting the fact that younger viewers may find Jekyll and Hyde scary.”
Show creator Charlie Higson tweeted his thoughts on the debacle, which you can see below.
I completely agree with ITV here. There’s a blatant warning right at the beginning of the episode that explains that it’s not suitable for children or anyone who might find violence distressing. If you continue to watch it, that’s your choice and any resulting consequences are on your head. And if you missed the first few minutes? It’s again your fault for missing critical information. Accept some personal responsibility.
Resisting the urge to reply to every negative tweet about #JekyllandHyde Impossible to make a show that everyone will love.
— charlie higson (@monstroso) November 1, 2015