“Thank you, we really need to fill this order,” said Caroline Channing played by Beth Behrs on the CBS comedy “2 Broke Girls.” “I’ll stay and help. I also had something to fill, but I’ll just text Sophie and tell her I’m working,” retorted Oleg, played by actor Jonathan Kite, who is known on the show for his witty, but highly sexual retorts.
The hit show was nominated for three 2012 Emmy Awards and won an award for “Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series”.
According to TV by the Numbers, 2 Broke Girls scored a 7.1 rating in adults age 18 to 49. However, it has been repeatedly criticized by reviewers like the Washington Post and the New Yorker for its racist and sexual jokes that are prevalent throughout the show.
Shows that originated prior to the 1990’s, were much less sexual in nature. In fact, while watching the show “Cheers,” you really have to listen to pick up on any sexual references whatsoever.
The closest thing I could find was a joke that was still funny,but didn’t mention STD’s, hand jobs, oral or condoms, a rarity today.
“Excuse me. Attractive? I didn’t know you thought I was attractive,” said Sam from the popular 1980’s show Cheers. “Well, you know, when the light strikes you in a certain way, and your hair is combed just right and I’m standing back a ways. You’re sometimes unrepugnant,” responded female lead Diane. “Yeah, that’s what women call me, tall, dark, and unrepugnant,” said Sam exasperated.
Jokes like these actually require the viewer to have a baseline level of intelligence and vocabulary to understand the humor, which is part of what makes it so funny, even today.
Nowadays, you could be in the other room with the television on in the background and still catch a joke about sex or hear an allusion to it.
“You’re getting me wet,” said Behrs in the pilot episode of 2 Broke Girls to her roommate Max Black’s boyfriend, who had just emerged from the shower, scantily clad in a towel and nothing else. Boyfriend Rob responded with, “That’s the point.”
Maybe when you were younger, it offended you, or you wished the jokes were a little cleaner, but now you just sit back, chuckle and wait for the next raunchy joke.
Has this increased sexualization of the media changed the kind of jokes television utilizes during the brief 21 minutes episodes? Have writers forgotten what good clean jokes are and only focused on getting ratings through cheap sexy jokes?
Communication professor at University of Hartford Lynne Kelly said, “[There has been a] big change in language. People say stuff that they would not have said before. People have long conversations about penises. [Television shows] have gotten more risqué.”
“I don’t know where the line is now. I feel like they always push the lines. I think sexuality will continued to be implied, not shown. Obviously, no full frontal nudity,” continued Kelly.
The direction that television is headed, always pushing the line on what is and isn’t appropriate, I don’t think there will ever be shows that are just “good clean fun” and free from overly sexual content.
Right now, you probably don’t give a damn about seeing sex implied on television or hearing crude sex jokes, but maybe ten years down the line, when you have little kids and you’re just settling into to watch your favorite show, you don’t want your kids to ask you what a three way is.
There should be prime time television shows out there that you wouldn’t be afraid to watch with your grandmother or a young child. However, television writers don’t think that 21st century Americans care about non dirty jokes; that they won’t find it as funny as jokes about having sex with your best friend or girl on girl experimentation in college.
Remember, when it comes to television, it’s all about the ratings. If people don’t like it, it gets cancelled, because the network thinks the show isn’t being well received.
So, if by some micracle there is a show out there with minimal sexual references and it’s funny, watch it.
Then maybe in the future, when we have kids, there will actually be shows out there we can let them watch.