In 1965 , whileappearinglive on the BBC in England , theater critic Kenneth Tynan talk the wordf***as a equivalent word for sexual intercourse . It was in thecontextof whether depictions of sex acts should be present on film or tv , and his usage of the word was seemingly more academic than provocative . block off some overlooked slip on a regional station , it was more than belike the first time anyone had ever dropped an f - dud on English language tv set .
The outcry was prompt . Among other complaints , one concerned citizen even save toQueen Elizabeth IIand suggested Tynan “ ought to have his bottom smacked . ” Another viewerthreatenedto sue the BBC and the show ’s manufacturer and insist that “ a standard has got to be made . ” A shamed BBC rationalise , and TV would spend a few more decennium manoeuvre under the idea that any profanity was unaccepted — on broadcast networks , anyway .
But was Tynan the swear trailblazer ? Does it count if some other pioneering profanity was bleeped ? And what about a written swear over a spontaneous expletive ?
A F***ing Surprise
As you might anticipate , counterculture figures were far more likely to get on telly and prompt controversy . In 1969 , Jefferson AirplaneappearedonThe Dick Cavett Showthe day after the seminalWoodstockmusic festival . In true iconoclastic fashion , singer Grace Slick had no reservations about singe “ f * * * ” and “ motherf***er ” in the Sung dynasty “ We Can Be Together . ” Because the show was taped , there was ample time to bleep the curse word , and it ’s unclear whether the row actually made it on air : A cursory lookup of newspapers in the day following the broadcast reveal no public or critical outcry . ( Cavett , apropos , already had another first under his belt — guestJerome Rodale , a health guru , expired while talking to the host . Naturally , that section did n’t see the light of day . )
In 1975 , John Lydon , a.k.a . Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols , appearedon ITV’sTodayprogram and drip a few “ f***s ” in dialogue with host Bill Grundy . Such was the intolerance for such blue language that Grundy himself was suspend for two week and the show delete two month later — even though it was n’t even Grundy who had said it .
There ’s also been ample f - dud spontaneity onSaturday Night Live . Paul Schaffer let a “ f * * * ” slip in 1980 , his last twelvemonth as a appendage of the sketch show ’s house band ; draw member Charles Rocket alsodeliveredone during a sketch the following year , as did guest musical actPrince . projectile ’s , which seemed accidental , bring forth him fired ; Prince escaped any controversy .
Sticking to the Script
While live television played emcee to gaucherie , written series had to be measured in their language . You were unlikely to hear any f - bombs or even too manydarnscoming from Ward Cleaver . But actress Doris Packer didmanagea “ damn ” on a 1965 sequence ofMy Favorite Martian . ( After being given a vigil , she cry , “ infernal thing probably does n’t even keep time . ” ) And onStar Trek(1966 - 1969 ) , William Shatner ’s James T. Kirk wasfondof the wordhell , as in , “ lease ’s get the hell out of here . ” Colleague Doctor McCoy spewed “ Dammit , Jim ” to reenforce his curmudgeonly nature . In the setting of scripted naughty Word of God , that was about as far as Kirk and fellowship could fight it .
The same was true of networks , who were forced to sit down idle and be mindful of Federal Communications Commission ( FCC)prohibitionson speech communication even as cablegram networks like HBO aired R - rated photographic film and dingy original shows that get down stealing some of web television ’s interview during the cable microphone boom of the 1980s . It was n’t untilNYPD Bluein 1993 that ABCstartedloosening the restriction . The fuzz dramatic play created by Stephen Bochco doled out profanity and nudity in HBO - light doses , promptingsome ABC affiliates to refuse to air the show .
Despite blowback , programme criterion were clearly loosen . In 1999 , CBSpermittedthe aesculapian dramaChicago Hopeto keep on a line spoken by Mark Harmon ’s Dr. Jack McNeil , who , after a botched operation , told malpractice lawyer that “ s**t find . ” It was likely thefirst timethe word had look in a scripted programme .
Basic cable leniencyfollowed , with read likeSouth Park , The Shield , and others upping the profanity quotient . ( South Parkcheerfullyrepeated“s**t ” 162 times in one installment followingChicago Hopebreaking down the barrier . ) Today , you’re able to hear coarse dialogue virtually anywhere on the dial , up to andincludingthe once - verbotenf - word . In one 2018 episode of the FX showMayans M.C. , it was drop over 20 times .
But thanks to FCC rule of thumb and spooky advertiser , f***remains the final frontier for the programme networks . The popular NBC comedyThe Good Place(2016 - 2020 ) even had some meta fun with the restriction , havingKristen Bellunable to say it in the hereafter : It would come in out asforkinstead . Would a primetime show get away with it in 2023 ? Eventually , someone may fork around and encounter out .
