The TV Column

We've come a long way with what's OK on TV

You’re the Worst stars (from left) Chris Geere, Desmin Borges, Kether Donohue and Aya Cash. The FXX adult comedy returns at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
You’re the Worst stars (from left) Chris Geere, Desmin Borges, Kether Donohue and Aya Cash. The FXX adult comedy returns at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Times have changed. Do you remember where you were on May 4, 1987?

That was the historic day when the very first bra commercial aired with the undergarment being worn by an actual living, breathing human female.

There were two Playtex Cross Your Heart commercials on NBC that day, both during daytime programming.

Until 1987, the National Association of Broadcasters Code Authority had to approve every television commercial before it aired. Brassieres were allowed to be shown only on mannequins. And -- and -- the mannequin had to be headless, armless or both.

In retrospect, showing a woman in a bra was hardly shocking. After all, Wonder Woman's Lynda Carter was bouncing around in a bustier that appeared to be spray-painted on more than a decade before.

These days, Victoria's Secret commercials are soft-core seduction from pouty-lipped, come-hither vixens who more than likely do not actually exist in real life.

But in 1987, The Associated Press quoted CBS spokesman George Schweitzer as saying the network found the Playtex ads "well done, tasteful and not exploitative."

Exploitative, of course, is subjective. I'm certain there were many who realized the floodgates had been opened, not just for commercials, but for programs as well, and not just with unmentionables, but with sex, language and violence.

Then along came cable.

Broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission; no such restrictions apply to cable, and premium cable outlets were quick to take advantage of the lack of supervision to offer adult fare.

Adult language is so common on cable now that we hardly seem to notice. And the body count on such outstanding dramas as AMC's Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead is a matter of course.

If you want a premium channel mentality in a basic cable package, look no further than FX, the little cable channel that has come to play with the big boys and produced some outstanding adult programs along the way.

Among those are American Horror Story, The Americans, Sons of Anarchy, Tyrant, Justified, Fargo, Louie, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, The Shield, Rescue Me, Man Seeking Woman and the forthcoming comedies Atlanta and Better Things.

Many of these have been among the best shows in recent years, but they are all rated TV-MA and the language, sexual situations, violence and, in some cases, brief nudity are deal-breakers for some viewers.

For me, it's always a matter of context. If a TV-MA program uses language, sexual content or violence in an organic manner that's consistent with the characters and the premise, then I have no problem with it.

If, however, the usage comes across as prurient, gratuitous or pandering, then the programs devolve into self-conscious Beavis and Butt-Head frat boy puerility and not worth my time.

Example: USA's otherwise outstanding legal drama Suits and its recent gleeful discovery it can get away with impunity using a common vulgar term for excrement. Once the sky didn't fall, Suits relished its newfound linguistic freedom to the point of overkill. It's boring and distracting.

Which brings us to sex.

Sex scenes on broadcast networks, from daytime soaps to the steamiest 9 p.m. dramas, are always going to be more suggestive than graphic. Facial closeups and strategically placed pillows and blankets will convey the essence of the scene without getting too bold for FCC standards.

Cable, on the other hand, has been pushing the boundaries for years and a new one has been set on FXX, the more raunchy younger sibling to FX.

The FXX comedy (originally FX) You're the Worst returns for a third season at 9 p.m. Wednesday and the opening 64 seconds contain the most graphic bedroom romp I've seen on cable -- basic or premium -- in a long time. It was also quite funny.

Hailed by many critics as innovative and hilarious, You're the Worst is a tale of the unconventional romance between narcissistic Jimmy Shive-Overly (Chris Geere) and cynical Gretchen Cutler (Aya Cash).

The dialogue is witty and the characters likable, but that opening scene leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. Do not go there if that's a problem. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so startling had Cash been wearing a Cross Your Heart bra. Or anything at all.

This just in: According to an Animal Planet publicist, North Woods Law: Washington State has returned to its original title Rugged Justice.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 08/30/2016

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