From gay sex scenes to murder scenes - Television New Zealand's popular soap opera Shortland Street is in trouble with the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) again.
In December, the BSA upheld a complaint about a homosexual encounter shown on one episode.
The BSA said the scene in question was not suitable for child viewers, even when subject to guidance from a parent or adult, because of its sexual content.
The BSA made it clear its findings had nothing to do with the fact that the scene involved two men; the scene would have been equally inappropriate if it had involved a heterosexual couple.
In a decision released today, the BSA upheld a complaint about an episode where character Craig Valentine was killed.
The episode showed a car chase before Dr Valentine was beaten with a baseball bat and eventually left in a car which was set alight.
The episode was given a PGR warning.
A majority decision by the BSA said the episode was unsuitable for children, even with adult supervision, because of the realism of the violence.
The BSA website states: "The theme was likely to frighten and disturb child viewers, particularly because the violence - which included easily accessible weapons such as baseball bats - was realistic in the sense that it could happen in New Zealand."
No order was imposed. The BSA believed the decision would remind TVNZ to take special care when including violence in PGR programmes.
NZPA