EDIT: oopps wrong show, well the guy in Hill Street Blues would be a swearer, I think 
That belker or whatever his name is would certainly be a swearer.
You might be thinking of “Hill Street Blues” but still…they both fit the thread nicely.
What’s a Belker?
Yes, I realised my mistake almost straight after posting, I edited to “confess”. Belker was a grotty little bloke/cop who growled at the criminals in Hill Street Blues.
There was a movie that came out in 90 called crazy people where ad executive Dudley Moore has a breakdown and writes honest advertisement slogans:
“Paramount Pictures presents ‘The Freak.’ This movie won’t just scare you, it will fuck you up for life.”
“You may think phone service stinks since deregulation, but don’t mess with us, because we’re all you’ve got. In fact, if we fold, you’ll have no damn phones. AT&T - we’re tired of taking your crap!” (again, it was 1990)
Moore’s character gets shipped off to a mental facility where he gets to meet Daryl Hannah but then the ad agency realizes that people like the honest ads which leads to an uncomfortable moment in a boardroom:
Charles Drucker: Harris. Say something honest, no holds barred. GO!
Harris: I like… small boys.
Gilligan and the Skipper, because of what we know about sailors
All of Star Trek.
TOS: “You pointy eared mother fu (SHUT YOUR MOUTH) I’m just talkin about Spock!”
For TNG: especially in reference to Wesley, many opportunities
DS9: Sisko “I’m too old for this shit”
VOY: to Neelix, “what IS this shit?!”
ENT: “More DeCon gel, please…” (panda)
TAA: I’m thinking of well drawn body parts…
Funny that’s also exactly what I thought of when I saw that post.
“Jaguar — For men who’d like hand jobs from beautiful women they hardly know.”
As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fucking fly.
But I don’t wanna be a fucking pirate!
I kind of want to be a fly on the wall when Frank and Estelle Costanza start arguing.
Remember what a big deal it was when La Rue was allowed to say “Son of a BITCH!” after the death of Esterhaus was announced? :eek:
Ten years later, sitcoms were freely using words like “ass,” “bastards,” and “sonsabitches.” :smack:
I think there was also something of a startled gasp when Kirk said “Let’s get the hell out of here!” at the end of “The City on the Edge of Forever.”
Richard Pryor’s show would have lasted a lot longer, that’s for sure.
It starts off polite and even amiable — and forty or fifty minutes in, they’re maybe getting a little irritated while still patiently explaining stuff to him — but eventually we’re going to see the guest star get reeeeally exasperated with Columbo.
Interesting thought. If “R rated” language were always acceptable, I think shows would have been more realistic in terms of the dialogue.
To wit:
- Most of the cast in westerns (think Calamity Jane and Sweringen in “Deadwood”)
- Most of the cast in police shows. They may have kept “Adam-12” and “CHIPs” more “G rated”, but from “Dragnet” through “Hill Street Blues” to “Barney Miller” could have had more realistic dialogue (not just the cops, but the bad guys as well)
- Similarly, most of the cast of detective shows. You can’t get hit by THAT many cars and expect Joe Mannix not to let out an “Oh shit !!!”
- Finally, shows featuring teenagers. From “Happy Days” to “That 70’s Show” - you KNOW kids swear when they’re not around their parents (and sometimes when they are). Seriously, the Fonz never dropped a f-bomb ?
The first time I heard “bitch” on TV was on Maude, where Maude called her husband Walter a “son of a bitch” in an endearing, affectionate way. It was a bit shocking at the time, and I believe the first use of the word on broadcast TV. This series finished its run before Hill Street Blues started.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is on cable. There’s no FCC oversight of language, so they can get away things they can’t on broadcast TV.
When Bones would say to Spock, “Are you out of your Vulcan mind?” I always thought it sounded like a substitute for, “Are you out of your fucking mind?”