It's up on television, according to a report from the Parents Television Council. Feministing finds this disturbing, and to a certain extent, I do to, especially on Seth MacFarlane's shows, which are singled out for treating killing women as total laugh riots. I'd be curious to see if incidences of violence against women are up because of the increasing popularity of vampire and paranormal shows--the report doesn't break that out, but I'd bet it might be a contributing factor to have shows where violence, and violence as a metaphor for sexual risk, are core elements of the plot. It's also because of shows like this, though, that I'm hesitant to freak about these statistics. Is it disturbing that some directors and writers treat violence against women as a joke, or as a form of glamor? Absolutely.
But I'm not necessarily against all portrayals of women as under attack. If those portrayals illustrate and make clearer to people the hideousness of rape, of murder, of intimate partner violence, I'm hard-pressed to say they shouldn't exist. And I don't think women should be wrapped in cotton wool, either. If the Parents Television Council reacted poorly ever time Buffy got punched, or kicked, or menaced, or bitten, her triumph over vampires, demons, hell goddesses, and witches gone wild wouldn't have the same impact. For women to be heroes, we need worlds where there can be genuine villians.