Censored TV shows

Has anyone noticed that a lot of TV shows have swear words written into their scripts and yet, for some reason, the networks have these censored? The excellent, but unfortunately cancelled, Southland was notorious for this, as is the new Detroit 1-8-7. It's like their trying to emulate the script from the Wire. I really don't understand what the point is in writing those swear words into the script, if they're just going to be censored.

mike65

How do you know? Or are the sort who downloads scripts to check changes? This is (illegally) downloaded US shows I take it?

mike65

mike65 wrote: »

How do you know? Or are the sort who downloads scripts to check changes? This is (illegally) downloaded US shows I take it?

Have you actually seen either of the two shows I mentioned?

mike65

Of course not! I've never even heard of them. I'm intrigued how you know about dialogue changes to suit Network TV prudes (I'm assuming they are not cable channels output)

mike65

mike65 wrote: »

Of course not! I've never even heard of them. I'm intrigued how you know about dialogue changes to suit Network TV prudes (I'm assuming they are not cable channels output)

mike65

If thats how its broadcast are you sure its not a "style" device either designed to point up network attitudes or possibly to have the feel of those "reality" cop shows where language is beeped? Obviously it seems ludicrous on the face of it. If you know you will get bleeped then you re-write the dialogue. Seems like a kind of sly protest to me. Has this been shown on this side of the ocean? If so was it bleeped?

http://open.salon.com/blog/paul_levinson/2009/04/11/beeps_lacerate_southland_premier

Richard Dower

The DVD is uncensored, and TNT allowed "sh*t" in and a bit more then NBC. More4 show it ova here.

Richard Dower

Deleted User wrote: »

Has anyone noticed that a lot of TV shows have swear words written into their scripts and yet, for some reason, the networks have these censored? The excellent, but unfortunately cancelled, Southland was notorious for this, as is the new Detroit 1-8-7. It's like their trying to emulate the script from the Wire. I really don't understand what the point is in writing those swear words into the script, if they're just going to be censored.

Uncensored DVD sales, simples.

Mr E

A bleep is far less offensive than the bad old days on RTÉ where you'd hear bizarre things like "Mother Fudger"

mike65

ITV used to love those "TV friendly" prints of movies as well, most of Warren Oates dialogue in Blue Thunder was rendered amusing in the wrong way.

mike65

mike65 wrote: »

If thats how its broadcast are you sure its not a "style" device either designed to point up network attitudes or possibly to have the feel of those "reality" cop shows where language is beeped? Obviously it seems ludicrous on the face of it. If you know you will get bleeped then you re-write the dialogue. Seems like a kind of sly protest to me. Has this been shown on this side of the ocean? If so was it bleeped?

http://open.salon.com/blog/paul_levinson/2009/04/11/beeps_lacerate_southland_premier

If I remember correctly, it was on FX and they also had the bleeps. From the clip I posted, it's somewhat strange that they allowed the word f@ggot but not the f-word. Surely f@ggot would be more offensive than f*ck?

SugarHigh

TV edits are hilarious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4t6zNZ-b0A

mike65

True, but when it comes to this sort of thing consistancy is rarely a strong point. It might be illuminating to note whats bleeped and what isn't. Do ugly references to race/gender/sexuality get through when good old fashioned four letter swear words gets zapped?

Minstrel27

Mr E wrote: »

A bleep is far less offensive than the bad old days on RTÉ where you'd hear bizarre things like "Mother Fudger"

I think you are getting RTÉ confused with ITV.

Neither show was censored by the network, it was a decision made during the development phase to allow the shows a more realistic air. The shooting style coupled with the swearing and it's implication gives both shows a documentary feel which works magnificently well for Southland though Detroit 1-8-7 is rather lackstruck.

Our man in Havana

The networks will have a person from their standards department present during filming to ensure that nothing "objectionable" is filmed. All scripts have to be approved by standards. The Americans are incredibly prudish as you all know.

The beeping is a plot device and as said an excuse for uncensored DVD sales.

danh789

Funny you should mention this, I was watcjing Only Fools and Horses on GOLD the other day (the episodes were Rodney dates the cop) and they had removed a comment Del made about getting a "black man's pinch". I mean for f**k sake, what sort of people are offended by these sort of comments? It's sensoring gone made if you ask me.

Minstrel27

danh789 wrote: »

what sort of people are offended by these sort of comments?

Politically correct morons who are out to save us all. I don't watch old tv shows like OFAH on Dave and so on for this very reason.

Richard Dower

E4 are deadly for the edit snip, they chopped up loads of episodes of The OC, Comedy Channel are horrific for edits, mutes and cut scenes.

Oh it's awful watching things on Comedy Central. They censor anything bordering on a swearword.

juma

danh789 wrote: »

Funny you should mention this, I was watcjing Only Fools and Horses on GOLD the other day (the episodes were Rodney dates the cop) and they had removed a comment Del made about getting a "black man's pinch". I mean for f**k sake, what sort of people are offended by these sort of comments? It's sensoring gone made if you ask me.

It really would disappoint me if something as harmless as this would offend a black person. Do people really consider the above comment to be racist

Mindkiller

Breaking Bad does it. They really ruined the scene where Walt says 'f*ck you' to Gretten .

I really don't get the point in it. A 2 year old could understand the message being conveyed. Why blank it out at all?

Elmo

Ok here it goes.

I am in favour of some censorship but before the show airs i.e. you censor the scriptwriters. And I have said this before on boards its because it makes a better script. Generally Network TV in the states cannot use bad language or nudey scenes (yet go for the violence) which personally I think is the wrong way around. Anyway in terms of why you should censor a script well this is down to words like ****, ****, bitch, **** and all the other words that I can't write here on boards. These words can be substituted for better more descriptive words in the English language thus getting around the censors sensibilities and also providing a stronger script (not always the case).

Remember the big deal about NYPD Blue and the word **** then taken to extremes in South Park which now censors the word.

However I do not beleive once a TV show is made that it should be censored. UK TV stations are notorious for censoring tame US sitcoms during daytime and early evening hours :mad:

Interest to see that the guy in the scene in Southland can say ****** without being beepppppppppppppppppppppped.

Also the FCC (Federal Communications Committee) would be down on Network TV like a ton of bricks if they allowed bad language.

Network TV = NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and The CW (I assume PBS as well but as a public service broadcaster)
Basic Cable = TNT, USA, FOX News, FX, Discovery etc
Premium Cable = HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, etc.

Minstrel27

Mindkiller wrote: »

Breaking Bad does it. They really ruined the scene where Walt says 'f*ck you' to Gretten .

I really don't get the point in it. A 2 year old could understand the message being conveyed. Why blank it out at all?

Breaking Bad is made by AMC which is basic cable. Swearing is not allowed.

calex71

Mr E wrote: »

A bleep is far less offensive than the bad old days on RTÉ where you'd hear bizarre things like "Mother Fudger"

Ha I remember ITV used to do that

Die Hard : "Yippe Ki Eh Kimosabi "

Goodfellas : "Go home and get your funny shine box"

So bad I remember those after all this time

Miguel_Sanchez

Mr E wrote: »

A bleep is far less offensive than the bad old days on RTÉ where you'd hear bizarre things like "Mother Fudger"

RTE didn't censor films I don't think. If they had a problem with content of a film they just didn't show it at all.

They did sometimes show airplane cuts of films in the afternoons but they never bleeped or added in sanitised ADR lines like ITV did, not that I'm aware of anyway.

Elmo

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

RTE didn't censor films I don't think. If they had a problem with content of a film they just didn't show it at all.

They did sometimes show airplane cuts of films in the afternoons but they never bleeped or added in sanitised ADR lines like ITV did, not that I'm aware of anyway.

I remember the calls to liveline when the broadcast Speed on Christmas Day and Die Hard in full at 7pm on RTÉ 2. On the other hand ITV :eek:

Elmo

Elmo wrote: »

I remember the calls to liveline when the broadcast Speed on Christmas Day and Die Hard in full at 7pm on RTÉ 2. On the other hand ITV :eek:

If I remember correctly Die Hard had a few cuts that time when it was shown,personal favourite was when TG4 showed Cliffhanger at 3 o'clock on a sunday,when a gaa match was cancelled.

ixoy

Deleted User wrote: »

The excellent, but unfortunately cancelled, Southland was notorious for this

Southland isn't cancelled. It'll be back in January in the US for a third season.

mike65

Elmo wrote: »

I remember the calls to liveline when the broadcast Speed on Christmas Day and Die Hard in full at 7pm on RTÉ 2. On the other hand ITV :eek:

Some of us still fondly remember the Wednesday afternoon screening of Dead Solid Perfect, a cable movie about golf

Elmo

Deleted User wrote: »

If I remember correctly Die Hard had a few cuts that time when it was shown,personal favourite was when TG4 showed Cliffhanger at 3 o'clock on a sunday,when a gaa match was cancelled.

I don't think Die Hard had any cuts taken from it that Wednesday also in replace of sport.

Minstrel27

Elmo wrote: »

I don't think Die Hard had any cuts taken from it that Wednesday also in replace of sport.

Agreed. I cannot recall RTÉ ever making any cuts to a movie. Kudos to them for this attitude.

Miguel_Sanchez

mike65 wrote: »

Some of us still fondly remember the Wednesday afternoon screening of Dead Solid Perfect, a cable movie about golf

That's the one they only got halfway through and then replaced with a doc about Egypt or something similar because they'd shown the full version instead of the PG version?

Miguel_Sanchez

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Agreed. I cannot recall RTÉ ever making any cuts to a movie. Kudos to them for this attitude.

As far as I'm aware it was RTE's policy to never make cuts to a film themselves but they did sometimes show pre-cut airline versions of films in the afternoon.

Minstrel27

It was rare.

ixoy

I remember RTE showed "Kramer vs. Kramer" one weekend afternoon/evening, including the full frontal nude scene.

Our man in Havana

They have shown it many times on a Sunday afternoon, fully intact.

Richard Dower

I've seen uncut movies play even in the morning!...nudity, swear words...loads of times, fair dues to RTE.