Making a Difference One Scene at a Time

Simon Baker, left, and Dabney Coleman star in The Guardian.


Simon Baker stars as Nick Fallin in The Guardian.


"The Innocent" - Nick Fallin (Simon Baker) and Louisa (Lulu) Archer (Wendy Moniz) discuss a difficult case on The Guardian, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Scenes from this episode of The Guardian were shot on location in Pittsburgh, PA

Date:Nov,16,2003
From:themediaproject.com

Good writers entertain … great writers entertain and educate. And, the shows can have a truly monumental effect by incorporating healthy sexuality into their scripts. By the time the average high school student graduates, s/he has watched about 20,000 hours of television. That's a lot of influence! Listed below are some recent shows that have taken the step to make a difference. Whether dealing with sexual abuse, contraception, or unplanned pregnancy or portraying strong parent-child communication or peer pressure resistance, the producers and writers of these programs have a right to be proud. The Media Project congratulates them! After all, great television means more than Nielsen numbers and Emmy Awards … it can change someone's life.

THE GUARDIAN, "BELIEVE"—CBS—TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2003
Nick struggles to find a home for two young African American orphans whose mother died of AIDS. Etta, the four-year-old, is HIV-positive, which makes it difficult to place them. Their father, also dying of AIDS, asks family friends to adopt the children. Nick is thrilled, but he becomes suspicious when the prospective father will not agree to a routine blood test. He discovers the man is on the down low, practicing unsafe sex with men, and keeping this life secret from his wife. With reservations, Nick decides that the children will still be better off with this family than remaining in foster care.

In another storyline, Lulu discovers she's pregnant and vacillates between having an abortion or having the baby. She and Nick decide to keep the baby. In the "C" story, an AIDS foundation is bequeathed money that will keep it operating, but the will is contested. And finally, Lulu attempts to deliver condoms to a gay men's club with a reputation for high risk sexual activity between members.