You may know that there’s a little controversy about the most recent episode of ABC’s Commander in Chief. Here’s the WaPo story:

In the episode that aired Thursday night, called "Ties That Bind," Davis’s character, Mackenzie Allen, watches a segment on the local news about civil unrest in Prince George’s during a protest over the high homicide rate and a lack of police protection. She then goes to the Prince George’s city of Hyattsville and gets out of her car in front of a restaurant advertising sweet potato pie, pork chops and chitlins.

After listening to people talk about slain loved ones and a lack of police, Allen sends 40 U.S. marshals into the county to quell the crime.

Peter A. Shapiro, a former County Council member who represented the Hyattsville area, said he was astounded as he watched the show.

"They took the largest, wealthiest black county and reduced it to a stereotype of a poor, dangerous black neighborhood," Shapiro said. "And the irony is the neighborhood isn’t even a poor black neighborhood."

The reader who passed it along noted this quote, from the show’s producers:

"While we used the name of the community, and we researched crime statistics related to the area, we also embellished the reality to enhance the story. Our goal was to create a more compelling drama for our viewers, not to portray the actual community or its citizens, law enforcement, or civic leaders in a negative light," the statement said. "We apologize for any offense, and reiterate that the series, the storyline, and the episode are all entirely works of fiction and do not depict any real person or situation."