Children need to understand that TV is a storyteller and that stories are made up. Each person interprets programs differently. We don't all understand a given show the same way. What may be funny to one child could be insulting or frightening to another. Parents need to help kids interpret what they're seeing.
Television violence takes many forms.
Cartoon and slapstick violence can be funny, while more realistic violence can be gripping. Explain to children that the pratfall isn't real, the cartoon characters don't really get hurt, and the actor who falls down wasn't really shot at all. Point out that in real life, violence has consequences. TV programs have an underlying economic purpose. Television exists to deliver audiences to advertisers.