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NEW YORK – Discerning TV viewers might notice a recurrent theme on their favorite shows this week.
The doctors on ABC’s “Private Practice” give homeless teens free checkups. On NBC’s “30 Rock,” page Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) tries to adopt every dog at a shelter. And two characters on CBS’ “Numb3rs” discuss joining Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The outpouring of volunteerism is no coincidence. The storys were developed for iParticipate, an initiative aimed at urging viewers to give back to their communities. Spearheaded by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the force behind last year’s “Stand Up to Cancer” telethon, the project has been embraced by stars.
More than 100 programs on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and cable networks such as Nickelodeon and Lifetime will spotlight community service, either through story lines or public service announcements featuring actors such as Emily Deschanel, Eva Longoria Parker and Rainn Wilson. The message will start in the morning with programs such as “Today” and “The View,” then echo on soap operas, prime-time series and late-night shows.
“We thought we’d have 20 or 30 programs involved,” said Lisa Paulsen, chief executive of the EIF. “It’s just caught on like wildfire.”
Entertainment execs hit on the idea during a retreat in 2008 when they were brainstorming how to follow the “Stand Up to Cancer” project, says Mitch Metcalf, NBC’s executive vice president of programming, planning and scheduling.
Rather than just “running a bunch of stoic PSAs,” Metcalf said executives realized it would be more effective to embed the message into story lines. Producers had creative freedom about how to hit on the theme.
Preston Beckman, Fox’s chief scheduler, said, “It was really ‘Here’s the goal: Get the word out about volunteering and do it however you feel would be best.’ ”
On NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” characters build a park with KaBoom!, a non-profit organization that constructs playgrounds. In the Fox comedy “ ’Til Death,” Doug (Timm Sharp) and his wife, Ally (Lindsey Broad) address why they spend so much of their time participating in protests and supporting the environment. On Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana,” Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) tries to win the school’s charitable fundraising campaign. On CBS’ “The Mentalist,” rookie cop Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) volunteers in a kitchen for homeless families, which causes tension in her love life.
