Bad TV

last updated 8 January 2015

Rio de Janeiro

Tourism officials in Rio de Janeiro this week tried to shut down a television soap opera to keep the producer from violently killing off a popular character. For several days, the city denied film permits to Manoel Carlos, creator of Women in Love, because he intended to have the character, Fernanda, die from a stray bullet on a city street. Leaders worried that the scene would stoke fears of violent crime already plaguing Rio. “Let her die,” said Sergio Ricardo de Almeida, a tourism official. “But let her die overwhelmed by the beauties of this city.” The mayor stepped in and granted the permits after Carlos complained of censorship.