TV's Evolving Taboos

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Television networks have long sprinkled salt into the dialogue of their scripted dramas and comedies, but now they're testing out tastes heretofore banished from the kitchen.

After running shows with titles such as "$#*! My Dad Says," "Don't Trust The B---- In Apt. 23" and "GCB" (for "Good Christian Bitches") on old-school networks like CBS and ABC, TV is tilling new ground for profanity. Time was, the freer hand enjoyed by cable networks such as HBO and FX put pressure on broadcasters to try rougher dialogue. These days, the squeeze is coming from nascent media outlets happy to rewrite old rules. Current audience tastes are shaped by "entertainment from unregulated markets" such as Howard Stern on satellite radio and uncensored rap on Pandora, said Philip Dalton, assistant professor and chair of speech communication, rhetoric and performance studies at Hofstra University. Premium cable is also still pushing the boundaries of taste as it tries to lure top talent and gain notice. Because of all this, Dalton said, many broader TV networks "face a real challenge to find and build audiences while following tamer conventions."


TV's Evolving Taboos