# You can say that on broadcast TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746 "2009-08-17T17:08:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/21 "2009-08-18T15:31:05Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Given what goes on each episode of “Two and a Half Men,” I can only assume that CBS has laid off their entire Standards & Practices department. They get away with sexual references on that show that are unbelieveably blatant. I too am often surprised at what passes on that show. I was also surprised that my 70 year old mother enjoys the show and once said to me: _Well, sometimes they seem to skirt the edge of what might be acceptable._ ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/22 "2009-08-18T15:50:04Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Given what goes on each episode of “Two and a Half Men,” I can only assume that CBS has laid off their entire Standards & Practices department. They get away with sexual references on that show that are unbelieveably blatant. It’s funny, because I caught a few minutes of this show last night, and I was moved to think, “Wow, and to think in living memory, they could say the word “pregnant” on TV.” The scene in question showed a LOT of Jon Cryers groin region - like, I’m thinking he had to wax. I’m not dismayed - nudity doesn’t bother me - but I’m struck by the cultural shift. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/23 "2009-08-18T16:48:54Z")
I also remember an SNL skit where a Southern Colonel was returning from the Civil War and they kept referring to him as Colonel Lingus and how much they enjoyed him but sometimes he overstayted his welcome though. At the end of the sketch, he says that he’s now retired, no longer a Colonel, and they should call him Amul. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/24 "2009-08-18T17:02:49Z")
Wasn’t there an episode of the Simpsons where Lenny referred to someone as a jerkoff? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/25 "2009-08-18T17:12:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Given what goes on each episode of “Two and a Half Men,” I can only assume that CBS has laid off their entire Standards & Practices department. Examples of their more dirty jokes/lines? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/26 "2009-08-18T17:24:11Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I also remember an SNL skit where a Southern Colonel was returning from the Civil War and they kept referring to him as Colonel Lingus and how much they enjoyed him but sometimes he overstayted his welcome though. At the end of the sketch, he says that he’s now retired, no longer a Colonel, and they should call him Amul. That was Colonel Angus: [http://www.hulu.com/watch/4109/colonel-angus-comes-home](http://www.hulu.com/watch/4109/colonel-angus-comes-home) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/27 "2009-08-18T17:34:35Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Wasn’t there an episode of the Simpsons where Lenny referred to someone as a jerkoff? Not to mention Principal Skinner’s infamous “chew through my ball sack” line. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/28 "2009-08-18T19:59:33Z")
I can’t remember the show, but it was on NBC in the mid-90s and was about cops and paramedics. At some point someone spray painted a cop car with “(Character’s name) is a dick”. ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/29 "2009-08-18T20:08:51Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > [You bet your sweet Aspercreme!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQrv6-viEUk) > > My jaw dropped first time I saw it, and then I was delighted as all hell. They changed it pretty quick, though. Now it’s, “You bet, if it’s Aspercreme!” which is nowhere near as fun. I’m glad to know I didn’t imagine the original version. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/30 "2009-08-18T20:32:07Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Examples of their more dirty jokes/lines? Random comments from random episodes: _ **Alan:** I don’t even know how my wife is going to be a lesbian. She hates oral sex—hates it._ \ ***Evelyn:** We are going to have a nice dinner, you are going to be charming, and Tommy’s going to remain oblivious to the fact that you defiled his daughter. **Charlie:** Hey, she wasn’t exactly filed when I met her. \* _ **Charlie:** How’s it going in there? **Alan:** Whatever happened to zippers? I miss zippers. **Charlie:** I don’t know, Alan, maybe there were too many injuries. Nobody ever got their balls caught in a buttonhole._ _ **Berta:** I guess if they can put a man on the moon, they can put a woman on your brother. Who’s the girl? **Charlie:** I don’t know. He met her at the supermarket. Helped her pick out corn. **Berta:** Corn? Well, I’m not in any position to judge. I once did a guy for a tank of gas._ ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/31 "2009-08-19T00:58:16Z")
I have Dish Network, and on the channel guide they list a show as “Dance Your A… Off”. Seriously, how do 3 dots make up for ss? But if you watch the show, they display the full title on the screen constantly. So what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/32 "2009-08-19T01:07:40Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > I have Dish Network, and on the channel guide they list a show as “Dance Your A… Off”. Seriously, how do 3 dots make up for ss? > > But if you watch the show, they display the full title on the screen constantly. So what’s the point? A few ads for the show show the full title, whereas others have it as _Dance Your A_\* Off.\* ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/33 "2009-08-19T01:08:40Z")
I think the most depressing thing about this thread is that these jokes and references are all considered _risque_ for network television. Says something pretty sad about the state of American prudery. In places like Australia and the UK, shows like _The Wire_, _Weeds_, _Sex and the City_, _The Sopranos_, and a whole bunch of other titles from premium cable stations like HBO and Showtime routinely run on network TV, uncut. Not to mention movies that run without all the ridiculous overdubbing of the swear words and pixelating of the boobies. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/34 "2009-08-19T01:33:22Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > I have Dish Network, and on the channel guide they list a show as “Dance Your A… Off”. Seriously, how do 3 dots make up for ss? > > But if you watch the show, they display the full title on the screen constantly. So what’s the point? WAG: Parents can control access to the show, but they can’t control access to the channel guide. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/35 "2009-08-19T01:51:03Z")
MY mom is 82 and LOVES the Simpsons, and loves Family Guy even more! She repeated some of the jokes from Joan Rivers’ roast the other day, from Carl Reiner and Gilbert Gottfried (sp?). Mom thinks as far as TV watching goes, this is a great time to be alive! I can only imagine what she’d think watching stark naked people swearing their asses off on TV shows in England and Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/36 "2009-08-19T07:56:22Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > I have Dish Network, and on the channel guide they list a show as “Dance Your A… Off”. Seriously, how do 3 dots make up for ss? In British English, the word is often spelt “Arse”. Not sure why an American TV channel would suddenly decide to use British spelling, but stranger things have happened. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/37 "2009-08-19T08:05:24Z")
Around here the “ass” in Dance Your Ass Off is actually spoken, during the middle of the day. The first time I heard it blew my mind it did. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/38 "2009-08-19T17:04:29Z")
CW’s Supernatural calls people “dicks” all the time. The also had an episode titled “Criss Angel Is A Douche”, which made me laugh for about a week. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/39 "2009-08-19T18:50:00Z")
> [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](#): > > CW’s Supernatural calls people “dicks” all the time. The also had an episode titled “Criss Angel Is A Douche”, which made me laugh for about a week. Yeah, douche and douchebag have really crossed over to allowable, as has dick and dickhead. I also first noticed it on Supernatural. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746/40 "2009-08-23T13:23:25Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > There was also an episode of _ER_ where Anthony Edwards (Mark Green) said ‘shit.’ It’s removed in syndicated versions. Not in the daily rebroadcasts on TNT. I’ve seen the episode a few times there (I think it’ll show once more, I believe they’re on the last run through of ER on the network.) and it’s always intact. What _isn’t_ intact is an instance several seasons later where Kerry screams “You asshole!” after a guy who stole her purse. Instead the “hole” is masked out by the sound of an El train. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-say-that-on-broadcast-tv/506746.md?page=1)