NBC's 'Bionic Woman' Singles Out Hillary for Praise

In between cyborg fights, NBC's new sci-fi show “Bionic Woman” flattered Hillary Clinton with an awkward and artificial reference to her prowess at getting to the bottom of an injustice.

In the October 10 episode “Sisterhood,” the latest Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers, portrayed by Michelle Ryan, discovered there is a constant video feed in her recently implanted bionic eye, and as the character groused about the invasion of her privacy, the writers slipped in a little stilted praise for Clinton.

The remark occured at about 29 minutes into the show where Jaime was talking to her boss Jonas Bledsoe, the director of the bionics program (video here):

JAIME SOMMERS: OK, you know what, this camera in my eye? It sucks.

JONAS BLEDSOE: It's not a camera. It's...

SOMMERS: (interrupting and finishing his sentence) A total violation of privacy. You know what? I'm going to call somebody. The Justice Department or—Hillary Clinton. She'll get to the bottom of this.

The show essentially engaged in political product placement. The mention was even more obvious than the usual Hollywood practices of displaying Pepsi cans or Dorito bags in scenes to promote certain brands. It's the same principle, just a different kind of brand.  

The out of place reference was more of a promotion of Clinton than an amusing line. Hillary Clinton isn't known for her investigative skills. Why not have Jaime mention an unnamed president? Or if liberal writers don't want to stain their scripts by implying a Republican president, why not use the Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi or the Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid? Why Hillary?

This isn't exactly bias and shouldn't be taken as such, but it is yet another indicator of the political leanings in Hollywood and an example of how Democrats are favored.

The problem is that TV is influential and can subtly shape opinion. Various minority and civil rights groups use Hollywood's ability to influence society as the basis for their boycotts and campaigns. Unfortunately, diversity in Hollywood does not include political diversity.

Lynn is a NewsBusters contributor. Contact her at tvisgoodforyou2 at yahoo dot com