1000 Ways to Die (Spike)

1000 WAYS TO DIE reenacts and analyzes real people's accidental and sometimes strange deaths. It uses a combination of real-life video, still photos, and interviews with friends of the deceased to flesh out the details of these deaths -- which are caused by everything from a spine being severed by a closing window to someone getting electrocuted by a light post. Forensic experts and other scientists also weigh in on how seemingly harmless acts led to these fatal moments. Finally, the show touches on some of the ways that people have been tortured and/or put to death throughout history.

This morbid, campy series presents each death story in a way that's intended to be both voyeuristic and amusing. Each tale is accompanied by graphic novel-type images and tongue-in-cheek titles (for example, the story of a man who froze in a meat locker is titled "Freeze Died") to add humor, and some of the commentary offers ironic speculations about what people were thinking and/or the lessons they learned while they lay dying. And, of course, it's all accompanied by disturbing images -- both real and reenacted -- of gruesome injuries and people in the moments just before their death.

The show offers limited scientific information about how the body can fatally react to certain things. But its real focus is on exploiting the unorthodox ways that people have died over the years. Although the names of the deceased are changed to protect their privacy, the choice to make their final moments a source of entertainment reflects a disturbing lack of sensitivity. This troubling lack of compassion -- along with the show's endless parade of graphic images -- makes it a poor choice for young kids and very iffy even for teens.