# Advertising fail -- "Three Sheets" on "Intervention" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070 "2009-08-11T16:15:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/1 "2009-08-11T16:15:32Z")
Last night (Monday, August 10) A&E (I think) was showing an “Intervention” rerun. During the commercial breaks the show “Three Sheets” was being advertised. Fail. If you don’t know… each episode of “Intervenion” is about a drug addict and their family. The first part is about the addict, showing them using (yes, shooting up / drinking / smoking / etc. and under the effects of drugs and/or alcohol) and the family tells how much harm the addiction / addicted person has done to themselves and the family, the second part of the show is where an intervenion is staged and the addict (hopefully) goes off to a treatment center. It really can be a tear-jerker, especially to someone who has dealt with addiction in themselves and/or their family \. This show makes getting all f\*\*ked up look definitely un-appealing. “Three Sheets” is a show about… getting all f**ked up (on alcohol). “Three sheets to the wind” is a euphamism (in the U.S.) for being drunk. This show makes getting all f**ked up look definitely appealing. It was an odd, and slightly disconcerting, juxtaposition. Have you seen anything similar? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/2 "2009-08-11T17:15:38Z")
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. hawking Nationwide Insurance. Very disconcerting. “Gee, we’re so glad we had Nationwide when dad crashed himself into a wall.” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/3 "2009-08-11T17:23:58Z")
I was watching a history channel documentary a few years back on the Holocaust (back when it was still the Hitler channel). Anyway, they were talking about the building of Auschwitz, and the design and functioning of the crematoria and gas chambers. Then it went to commercial, and the first commercial was a Volkswagen ad that started “Germans have always been known for their engineering…” ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/4 "2009-08-11T17:27:23Z")
How is it legal to show them shooting up or using illegal drugs? (Off topic but I was curious.) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/5 "2009-08-11T17:30:41Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I was watching a history channel documentary a few years back on the Holocaust (back when it was still the Hitler channel). Anyway, they were talking about the building of Auschwitz, and the design and functioning of the crematoria and gas chambers. > > Then it went to commercial, and the first commercial was a Volkswagen ad that started “Germans have always been known for their engineering…” I thought this was going to be about the other ad once referenced on this MB that took place on a history channel-type special on the SA. The ad was UPS: “What can Brown do for you?” ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/6 "2009-08-11T18:27:27Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How is it legal to show them shooting up or using illegal drugs? (Off topic but I was curious.) It’s never occurred to me that it might be illegal to show someone using illegal drugs on tv. Can that possibly be true? I’ve seen plenty of documentaries and true life shows in which people do illegal things, including shooting up and smoking weed. Oh, and I wouldn’t call the advertising in the OP a “fail”. Intervention (like COPS) is a popular show to watch while getting high. I suspect that’s the same audience they were hoping to capture with Three Sheets. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/7 "2009-08-11T18:39:38Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How is it legal to show them shooting up or using illegal drugs? (Off topic but I was curious.) I started a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=422811) about that very thing. Some good responses in there. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/8 "2009-08-11T18:42:17Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How is it legal to show them shooting up or using illegal drugs? (Off topic but I was curious.) What law would the producers be breaking? News shows show people breaking the law all the time. OJ was breaking the law when he fled from police. Virtually every channel in America had it on. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/9 "2009-08-11T20:01:50Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > What law would the producers be breaking? > > News shows show people breaking the law all the time. OJ was breaking the law when he fled from police. Virtually every channel in America had it on. Well, yeah, but at some point you have to draw the line, no? Like, you can’t go around filming a serial killer without notifying the police (Man Bites Dog notwithstanding :)). ETA: Thanks, **Morbo** , will check out your thread. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/10 "2009-08-11T20:10:41Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I was watching a history channel documentary a few years back on the Holocaust (back when it was still the Hitler channel). Anyway, they were talking about the building of Auschwitz, and the design and functioning of the crematoria and gas chambers. > > Then it went to commercial, and the first commercial was a Volkswagen ad that started “Germans have always been known for their engineering…” I believe there was some TV movie or other about the _kapos_ cleaning the bodies out of the gas chambers after a batch of Jews were murdered at some concentration camp. Followed by a Lysol commercial. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/11 "2009-08-11T20:19:54Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Oh, and I wouldn’t call the advertising in the OP a “fail”. Intervention (like COPS) is a popular show to watch while getting high. I suspect that’s the same audience they were hoping to capture with Three Sheets. Yeah, OK, I never thought of that. 20 years ago in college we probably would’ve turned “Intervention” into a drinking game. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/12 "2009-08-11T21:01:38Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](#): > > Yeah, OK, I never thought of that. 20 years ago in college we probably would’ve turned “Intervention” into a drinking game. Yep. In fact, google Intervention drinking game and you’ll find it’s pretty common. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/13 "2009-08-12T16:59:38Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well, yeah, but at some point you have to draw the line, no? Like, you can’t go around filming a serial killer without notifying the police (Man Bites Dog notwithstanding :)). You may be right, but I’d still like to know what law requires a witness to a crime to report it. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/14 "2009-08-12T17:02:49Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > You may be right, but I’d still like to know what law requires a witness to a crime to report it. I would, too. If any law dopers are reading this…HELP! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advertising-fail-three-sheets-on-intervention/506070/15 "2009-08-12T17:46:42Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I would, too. If any law dopers are reading this…HELP! You need the answer fast?