Q: I love the series on Netflix called "The Night Agent" and "The Diplomat," but some of the language is so foul and blasphemous that it's hard to watch. Doing without it would not detract from the entertainment. How can we get producers to realize that this type of language is totally uncalled for?
A: As I have mentioned here before, language standards in television — and movies, politics and what kids say on the street — have changed dramatically over the years. I remember more than 30 years ago, when a colleague was outraged that an early evening sitcom had a character saying, "You suck!" About five years ago, I wrote about cable shows such as "Yellowstone" embracing raw words with growing frequency. (While broadcast programs are bound by some standards, premium services such as HBO, cable channels and streamers like Netflix have looser rules — and sometimes no rules at all. You can learn more at fcc.gov.
For example, the "Succession" series finale exploded with crudeness that felt beyond what it had had before. But on "Succession," the language made sense for the characters, as it has in other productions over the years. So rather than outright reject language as "uncalled for," I try to see if it suits the characters and situation.
And that is where I — slightly — agree with you. Both "The Night Agent" and "The Diplomat" used some language that sounded out of place in the context of the show and awkward as spoken — as if words were being used just because they could be, not because they fit the moment.
Time warp
Q: It's extremely aggravating to find that a recorded episode doesn't fit into its scheduled time. For example, a recorded episode of "East New York" might start during the last part of "The Equalizer," which I also might want to record. So the recording ends eight to 38 minutes before the show ends. Surely the networks and cable companies working together could resolve this issue. Your thoughts?
A: As I have said here before, the delayed shows typically result from live (and unpredictable) sports events running so long that they delay telecasts of the programs that follow them. It especially drives CBS viewers crazy on Sundays during the NFL season. (Fox, which also has late afternoon football on Sundays, adjusts its schedule by filling the first prime-time hour with football-related programming that can be cut short if the games run long.) CBS has at times scheduled its Sunday programming to start later because of football, so your DVR knows the right time. And this fall, it is putting reruns into Sunday's final prime-time hour (9 p.m. Central) to provide more flexibility after football.
But for viewers, the best approach is to add time to recording schedules in your DVR; I usually tack on 30 minutes to an hour. There's also the option of looking for the shows on the networks' streaming platforms.
Down the drain
Q: I really loved "Soap." They ended with an excellent cliffhanger but never came back on the air. Why?
A: Famously controversial among the puritanical for its bold content and for featuring an openly gay character (played by Billy Crystal) when that was a rarity, the comedy "Soap" aired on ABC in 1977-81. Ratings had declined by the time it was canceled; even Crystal told the New York Times that later, more bizarre story lines — "the spaceship and stuff like that" — disenchanted him. The show, which had faced boycotts by advertisers and affiliates from early on, apparently had lost most of its appeal to sponsors by the end.
Write to brenfels@gmail.com.
