On 722 Lester (The Entertainment)

(Photo: WREG)

The Lester Street episode of A&E's "The First 48" aired tonight.

Well, that's about it.

I wasn't impressed by the police work or the storyline, though I was somewhat torn when Jessie Dotson's mother hugged him at the police station and told him that she loved him--even after he confessed to the killings. (His attorney says he's innocent.)

Nevertheless, I spent most of the hour wondering why WMC's reporting was solely spotlighted. A&E showed a report from Nick Kinney and two from Janice Broach.

I guess, I wasn't shocked because the episode closely followed what the media had revealed beforehand. There was nothing really new, except seeing Dotson's confession and some of the folks who came forward to offer information.

And although MPD is reconsidering its appearance on the show, they might want to make sure that they get out of the office more. I'm just sayin, is police work all about waiting around until people call you?

What happened to beating the street?

ON ANOTHER NOTE, WMC and WREG went to 722 Lester to talk to the new tenant, Effie Peete, who said she didn't watch the show. The CA interviewed the surviving children's guardian at litem:

In the end, though, the Lester Street mass murder proved to be not only one of the worst crimes in Memphis history but also just another hour of entertainment on cable television.

That’s what concerns Valorie Smith, the guardian ad litem appointed to represent the surviving children’s interests for the duration of legal proceedings. Although no images of the children were aired, A&E did show pictures of the bloody bathroom and bedrooms in which they were killed or wounded.

“It does bother me that this would be viewed as entertainment,” she said. “This is a very tragic circumstance. These children lost a tremendous amount. They lost family members. This is a very difficult situation, and to have this played on the TV again and all the comments it will elicit, I find this very disturbing.”

Sada tai.