We’re watching Killjoys on SyFy and they are talking about defeating an evil female ruler.
Guy 1: We gotta get real nasty to win.
Guy 2: Ass to mouth?
Me and me husband looked at each other. Wha. . .?! Everyone on the show also looked at him like Huh. . . Wha. . .?! We couldn’t believe he said that-- even on cable. Reminds me many, many years ago watching The Golden Girls and Sophia says about Blanche and her date, “They were playing Hide the Salami” and I thought, they can say that on broadcast TV?
I lived in Russia full-time from 1992 to 2008. Watching reruns of American shows from the '90s now, I’m amazed at how quickly things like “ass” and “son of a bitch” became commonplace in prime-time programming. Niles saying “furry little rat’s ass” (I think that was the line) on Frasier was one of my first “Holy crap!” moments. (And that line was, so far as I can tell, first popularized on Family Guy.)
I remember Captain Kirk saying “Let’s get the hell out of here!” was considered a big thing back in 1967.
In the Hawaii Five-O pilot, the strongest things got was when McGarrett told a traitor “You dirty, double-dealing FINK!”
In the only episode of Charlie’s Angels I ever watched, Art Metrano (the villain of the week) told Kate Jackson she had a cute ass. They got away with it because it was easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention (and it also happened to be true :o).
On Hill Street Blues in 1983, they had to get special permission for LaRue to say “Son of a BITCH!” when Esterhaus died.
Hell, not even Beavis and Butt-Head were allowed to use the word “ass” when they first came on MTV. They had to say “butt” instead (as in “butt-munch”).
Another example: When Hugh Hefner guest-hosted ***SNL *** back in 1977 or '78, the audience snickered when he got away with saying “penis” on the air. It now seems that “penis” (along with “masturbation,” “boobs,” and “ass”) is a staple of sitcom humor.
Stewie: Yeah…looks like somebody’s getting a little oedipussy.
Brian: Can we say that?
Stewie: Just did.
Little Stewie always stands next to and points out the Discretion warning at the start of the show. I’d like to see him walk forward, rap on the glass, and say, “Hey, parents groups, you guys paying attention? If you can’t handle it, go away.”
I recall Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order referring to a banker playing “stuff the blini” with his mistress. When it turned out she was also the mistress of a Russian mobster he said the blini was getting stuffed from both ends.
Don’t watch 2 Broke Girls, then. Well, you shouldn’t watch it anyway, since it’s a shitty show, but they not only push the envelope, they lick it.
Caroline: I’ve never dated poor, what is acceptable on a first date? Max: Well, I’m pretty classy, so… anal? Caroline: [awkward pause] I’m not that poor.
The Sopranos really doesn’t count here, since it was an HBO production. I was amused, however, at how it was bowdlerized when it was shown on A&E back in 2008–09. “Fuck you!” became “Forget you!” “Cocksucker!” became “Blood sucker!” And so on, and so on.
I stopped watching TV when MTV turned into a teenage drama channel, so like early 2000’s. Too much trash on TV these days, not worth watching. I don’t see the “shock value” in cursing out in bad taste or saying stupidly vulgar things in shows/live broadcasts, it’s not appealing or appropriate in any way.
Well, they don’t show late-night soft-core porn on weekends, like they do in Europe, that’s for sure.
I was surprised at some of the gruesome things that got cut out of I, Claudius when it was aired in the US. (I had seen it in its entirety when I lived in England.) I guess PBS thought Americans just weren’t ready for Roman-style decadence and violence.
Arrested Development specialized in dirty jokes that easily get past censors. Some Disney movies have eyebrow raisers. I remember finding “Chokey’s Chicken” from Rocko’s Modern Life funny when I was young.
There was one, not dirty but potentially religiously offensive, where they break the 4th wall and broadcast Fox’s mailing address if anyone wants to write a letter.
December 17, 2000. See also: Sneed’s Feed and Seed.
I think South Park probably crossed the final frontier. They’ve always been hit or miss for funny, but consistently offensive. One that stands out is George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg raping Indiana Jones in a parody of The Accused. (Let’s assume the creators weren’t pleased with The Crystal Skull.) The episode went through the rape prosecution and everything. Despite my sensitivity to such issues, they played it so straight, it took on this bizarre meta-quality of actually honoring rape survivors. You rooted for Indy to have justice. I thought it was hilarious. But I have a dark sense of humor.
Since then, shows have been just as offensive as South Park, but I don’t think more offensive.
I remember when people felt threatened by the Simpsons.
