Is it ever a good day for violence on television? [OPINION]

In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, TNT pulled its premiere of The Last Ship because violence in the show was too close to real life to be comfortable to air.

TNT postponed the premiere because it depicted violence in a nightclub. And in the wake of Orlando, the largest mass shooting in U.S. history, I understand and respect the need to do it.

The network made this statement:

As a result of the shootings this weekend in Orlando, tonight's originally scheduled season premiere of The Last Ship has been postponed.

Our hearts are with the victims and their families.

However, in the back of my head, the multiple reports we’ve shared with our readers in recent years of other shows being canceled or postponed due to their violent nature in the aftermath of other tragedies began to nag at me.

In 2012, Jack Reacher was postponed after a gunman murdered children in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The film was “too violent” to air after such a tragedy. Along with it, SYFY’s Haven, for scenes that showed violence in a school and TLC’s Best Funeral Ever.

In 2015, USA Network’s Mr. Robot finale was postponed after a co-worker shot and killed Alison Parker and cameraman, Adam Ward, for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia. It was, again, too violent.

After the attacks in Paris, an episode of Supergirl was removed from the CBS schedule. Along with an episode of NCIS: LA. TNT decided not to air an episode of Legends. They were too violent and mimicked real life events too closely.

I have to ask, if the content, in the wake of tragedy, is too violent to show, why is it okay to show on a “normal” day?

I will admit, I have been waiting weeks for season 3 of The Last Ship to begin. The story, as violent as it gets, is balanced with Tom Chandler’s (Eric Dane) command of his crew to uphold the integrity of the United States in a post-apocalyptic world where population has been decimated by a bio-engineered virus. Captain Chandler does his best to remain fair and honorable, despite moral obstacle thrown in his path.

I am also one of the many that watch shows like NCIS: New Orleans, CSI, Criminal Minds and a multitude of other shows that depict violence, murder and straight out horror.

I know this violence does and can happen. In fact, I threw out my daughter’s quilt because it appeared in an episode of Criminal Minds that depicted a child abduction. I couldn’t bear to have her sleep under it.

On the other hand, I have stopped watching shows because they are too violent. I do need the good guys to win at the end of the day. And with ratings on ABC’s Chicago shows dominating prime time TV, so do most Americans.

We have seen too many tragedies, and until there is change, we will see countless more. If a show should not be aired on the worst of days, then airing it on the good days needs to be reconsidered as well.

But what also needs to be considered is what we as individuals are finding acceptable to watch. I know that I will be rethinking what I am okay with watching while I wait to see if TNT chooses to air the premiere of The Last Ship or cancel it altogether.