NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia alcohol regulators say the Discovery Channel's "Moonshiners" television show is misleading viewers into thinking the state is tolerating illegal booze manufacturing.
The television series depicts those who brew their own moonshine and local authorities.
Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control spokeswoman Kathleen Shaw told The Associated Press in an email that viewers indicated they believe the show is real and they want to know why Virginia is allowing a crime to take place.
Shaw says the show is a dramatization, and no illegal liquor is actually being produced. She said Virginia officials would not have participated in filming had they known how it would be portrayed.
Shaw says the Discovery Channel has been asked to add a disclaimer.
Messages left with a show publicist Thursday were not immediately returned.