Last night, FX aired the third episode ofThe People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, entitledThe Dream Team, which focused onO.J. Simpson’s (Cuba Gooding Jr.) powerful legal defense team coming together. Many were quite shocked and surprised when the very last sentence uttered in the episode contained a curse word hardly ever heard on primetime TV.Entertainment Weeklyreports that last night’s episode may be the first time that “motherf—er” has ever been said on a non-pay channel before midnight.
The last scene of the episode featuredSarah Paulsonas prosecutor Marcia Clark going into her backyard in the wee hours of the morning, to read the daily newspaper. On the front page, she finds that the infamous Johnnie L. Cochran (Courtney B. Vance) has joinedO.J. Simpson’s defense team. Her response to the news was, “Cochran … motherf-er,” as the episode came to end.
While the major broadcast networks - Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS and The CW - have FCC regulations in place that prohibit the use of foul language and other indecent acts, basic cable networks like FX can essentially do whatever they want. While they could air scenes featuringnudityand graphic sex acts like one would see on HBO’sGame of Thrones, for example, these networks attempt to aim for PG orPG-13content in an effort to attract a broader audience. The report also adds that Comedy Central has aired the word “motherf—er” before, but only during its uncensored comedy specials that air after 1 AM. FX has aired episodes where the word “f–k” was said, but never “motherf—er.”
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Storyis a limited series that takes you inside theO.J. Simpsontrial with a riveting look at the legal teams battling to convict or acquit the football legend of double homicide. Based on the book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin, it explores the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, and how a combination of prosecution overconfidence, defense shrewdness, and theLAPD’s history with the city’s African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt.
From Executive ProducersRyan Murphy,Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson,Brad Falchuk,Scott AlexanderandLarry Karaszewski, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story starsJohn Travolta,Cuba Gooding Jr.,Sarah Paulson,David Schwimmer,Courtney B. Vance,Sterling K. Brown,Nathan Lane, Kenneth Choi, Christian Clemenson andBruce Greenwood. The limited series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story has garnered universal acclaim from critics and currently ranks #1 of all series in 2016 on Metacritic with an average score of 90, and is 97% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Take a look at some of the tweets below featuring reactions to the airing of this curse word last night.
