I don’t watch a lot of new TV shows. This is partly by choice and partly because of the lack of time to watch (or that I have better things to do!). I don’t think that there has been any new show over the past, I don’t know, 5 years that I was really excited to see. The last show I wanted to see was Timeless in 2016 (A time travel show that I thought was pretty cool and sadly cancelled).
Now, call me a prude, old fashioned, or whatever you want, but I just read about a show that may or may not be a good show. I won’t ever watch it because of the title. Annie Murphy stars in a new show called, “Kevin Can F**k Himself.” Does the show really need to be called this? “I Hate Kevin” would get the point across, too, I’m guessing. How are the TV ads going to be able to say the name of this show?
Shows with profanity in the title are common for Annie, though. She’s known for being on the hit Schitt’s Creek. Playful title, but still profanity. I’ve never seen that show either, by the way. Yeah, I know, I’ve seen all my friends rave about it on social media. I know it won all kinds of awards. I just don’t have the desire to watch it. The name doesn’t even have anything to do with it.
I’m not saying I never swear. My co-workers can attest to that. Lately, though, I have been getting that foul mouth under control and I am very aware of the words I use. Now, can I promise that if I whack my thumb with a hammer I won’t swear? I hope not, but there is still the possibility.
In an 2012 article from Deadline (which you can read here: https://deadline.com/2012/11/fk-expletives-take-over-show-titles-367900/), it recalls the 2009 show that starred William Shatner – $#*! My Dad Says. The show was based on a blog, which I think also became a book. The Parents Television Council didn’t care too much for the title and asked people to boycott the show.
The article also goes on to mention shows that were in development that used expletives in the title. Those included two using “Bi*ch” – Don’t Trust the Bi*ch in Apartment 23 and Good Christian Bi*ches. Then there were plenty with the F word – Oh, F**k! It’s You!, How the F**k am I Normal?, F**k! I’m in My Twenties, and Grow the F**k Up!.
Remember the old George Carlin bit, “The Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television?” I won’t list the words here, but I know a few of them are common place on prime time TV – and NOT just on the cable channels. It’s sad. Most kids are familiar with those seven words and more by the time they are in elementary school. I remember the first time I heard my grandma slip with the F word. She caught herself, we didn’t know what she said, but it was obvious that it was a bad word.
Today, these kids aren’t phased by those words and incorporate them into their daily talk. Just the other day on the phone my oldest (19) let an F bomb drop. He apologized immediately to me, but I know that he is using it frequently with his friends. My youngest (13) has also been known to let a swear word slip in front of me. It’s common place today.
Ok, I will get off my soapbox. Think of me what you will.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 
I’m pretty much done with TV, streaming & movies. 2016 does seem to be the last year anything made sense. I watched Timeless, too and it was good. These days, if anything made has a good story to tell with interesting characters, it gets canceled. If it is complete trash with bad acting, bad dialogue and “woke politics”, it stays on the air and the MSM advertises it ad nauseam. There is very little quality in any programming these days. The worst thing invented was “reality TV.” And, I thought soap operas were bad.
Our world is such now that, cursing is necessary. Our government, alone, is enough to draw a long string of obscenities from sunrise to sunset.
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I agree with you! Reality TV is just garbage. To me, that includes these “talent” shows. No new ideas seem to be out there! I saw an add on TV for some show about Legos! So, we’re watching people build Legos?
I want to watch TV to be entertained, not to have some producers political or social views shoved down my throat. You can’t watch anything today without that stuff!
I’ve ranted about the need for original movies, and how there are plenty of books in the library that could be adapted for movies, but Hollywood insists on remaking or rebooting old stuff.
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Exactly…
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I’m tired of the TV quota…they must give you a 10th of this a 10th of that a 10th of political views etc… It takes too good of writing to imply things and not SAY it straight out. Writing they don’t have.
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I don’t watch much TV either. Garbage and more Garbage. I’m definitely allergic to reality TV… I don’t get it. Funny how the movie Network (1976) predicted the dumbing down of television. Paddy Chayefsky was a clairvoyant! 😉
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When I worked in radio, all the morning shows talked about the realty shows from the night before. I hated it! My partner used to love those shows, so I used to just let her talk about it. Those shows are just stupidity. I always felt more dumb after watching them.
I remember when American Idol first came out. That actually sounded like it had potential (from a music standpoint). We’ve all heard the stories of how some people were discovered and hit the big time, so it sort of made sense. That show has been on for years and very few of the winners have amounted to anything. The novelty of that wore off quickly.
After the success of Idol and Survivor, it seemed like there was a mad rush to produce garbage like that. All of a sudden, we were flooded with shows that required no script.
There are plenty of ridiculous realty shows that are not on network TV, too! Teen Mom, The Osbornes, 16 & Pregnant, Duck Dynasty, whatever that show with Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie was, My 600 Pound Life, Biggest Loser, etc … as bad as they are, the bottom line is that people watch them …. and they make the networks money,
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“…the bottom line is that people watch them.” We create our own monsters, don’t we? 😉
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We certainly do!
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My father thinks the same. He’s very against these TV series and stuff. But me and my brother still watch it XD
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