Swearing on basic cable has always been something of a gray fucking area; while the FCC watches the mainstream networks like a hawk for any signs of f- or s-bombs on their way, it’s always been much more lax when it comes to subscription-based media. Still, most cable networks have Standards & Practices departments keeping an eye on that shit, lest a reputation for rampant potty-mouthery trash subscription rates or invoke a dreaded letter-writing campaign.
At least two major networks are about to lighten up on these particular goddamn prohibitions, though, with USA and Syfy both announcing that they’re now comfortable broadcasting words like “fuck” across their pristine airwaves. It’s pretty clear that this change has been slowly rolling out—see the un-dipped “fucks” that have popped up recently on The Magicians and Mr. Robot—for a good damn while now, but Buzzfeed confirmed it earlier this week, quoting a Syfy spokesperson who noted that both it, and its sister network, have determined that in cases of foul language “deemed important to the style or plot of a show, Syfy and USA now allow it.