The book, written by Gregory Stevenson, says that the increasing frequency of moralist critiques of television shows is an acknowledgment of television's growing role in the shaping of a culture's moral values. Yet many moralist critiques misconstrue the full moral message of a show due to a restrictive focus on sex, violence, and profanity. Televised Morality explores the nature of moral discourse on television by using Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a case study.