The F-word has taken over television. How did we get here? And are we better or worse for it? Let’s analyz
First, an acknowledgement. The meaning of “television” in 2022 is vastly more complex than it was not just in the days of basic and premium cable, but what it meant as recently as 2013 — when “House of Cards” became the first episodic television series produced for Netflix by an outside studio.
In 2022, Netflix and a host of other streaming services — Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock — are constantly rolling out original programming on their platforms, giving consumers a bewildering number of options.
So, how pervasive is the F-word in television entertainment? Consider the following:
- The website ReelGood.com ranks the most popular television shows on streaming. The most recent listings show that of the top 10, six are rated TV-MA and include multiple uses of the F-word, including the cartoon “Rick and Morty.” Another, the TV-14-rated “Cobra Kai,” also has the occasional F-word.
- At the most recent Emmys, seven of the eight nominees in the outstanding comedy series category were rated TV-MA and featured use of the F-word. (The TV-PG comedy “Abbott Elementary” was the lone exception.)
- Seven of the eight nominees for outstanding drama series are rated TV-MA and feature use of the F-word. The lone TV-14 show on the list was Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” which went from zero uses of the F-word in its first season to nine in its fourth season.
- Another TV-14 Netflix series, “Locke & Key,” also features infrequent use of the word.
- Now that it features a few R-rated films like “Deadpool,” the Disney+ streaming service is no longer F-word free.