Showtime's New Ad Campaign: The S-Word

New York Times:

A two-minute promotional spot on the cable network features the slogan, "The Best Stuff on Television," although the actual third word is an expletive that cannot be used by family-friendly networks (or newspapers).

The ad features characters from shows like "Weeds" and "Californication" uttering the expletive seven times, plus a song from the band Centralia that uses it five times. Showtime also posted the video -- with a warning that it was "intended for a mature audience" -- on YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 25,000 times.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[raker]

04:34 PM on 09/05/2007

The S-word. That's what we call ABC News.

[SouthJerseySteve]

02:42 PM on 09/04/2007

I saw the Showtime ad and it is hilarious--keep in mind all you anti-potty mouth wingnuts, Showtime is a premium channel and they are not NBC! I prefer HBO (love Bill Maher) but Showtime has Big Brother 8 after dark, and that's as real as you can get!

[kellygrrrl]

05:26 PM on 09/03/2007

Well, Rove is getting his own show on VH1
Best F'in War Ever

[larry278]

03:09 PM on 09/03/2007

The NYT as a family newspaper-come on. The s@it NYT purveys is called feces but it stinks the same as s@it. Has anyone got the gumption to tell the Sulzburgers that, no matter what it's called, s@it isn't family fare. Don't even think of it after the sunset of the coming Jewish new year.

[Ginzaman]

02:09 PM on 09/03/2007

Only in America. The FCC says you can get fined if you say shit before 10 p.m. Even though a lot of "cutting edge" network shows want to say shit because in real life people talk shit all the time they can't do it. So if somebody on TV says shit but it's been looped over with some other stupid shit that we all know is shit somebody else will say hey, we can't have that shit! Meanwhile the rest of the civilized world laughs their asses off at this shit while smoking some quality shit that is perfectly legal in their country. Will I get fined for this????

[kellygrrrl]

05:27 PM on 09/03/2007

the only people awake after 10: watching TV are the 14 year old kids.

[TakLoufer]

01:26 PM on 09/03/2007

Oh it's shit alright. Enough for me to cancel Showtime as one of my premium channels. The second episodes of this season's "Weeds" and "Californication" were revolting enough to make me not want to continue supporting that network. Drug wars, Duchovny's character having sex with an underage girl, and if you add Dexter to the mix, a glorified serial killer are not entertainment. It's just sleaze and desperation that keeps this trash on the air. I'm especially disappointed by "Weeds", which has turned dark and mean-spirited where it used to be funny and offbeat.

[smallmindinalargeworld]

10:25 AM on 09/03/2007

This is a big deal? We have a president who can't get dressed in the morning without someone telling him he needs to put on underwear and we are worried about "shit". There is bigger "shit" to worry about than this "shit".

[gvincent]

09:58 AM on 09/03/2007

Wow...are we freaking about the word "shit"? What are we, 12? Woo, it means "poop"...
http://www.crookedinc.com

[TOOO]

09:40 AM on 09/03/2007

Well, cable has already done gratuitous sex and violence - now, gratuitous swearing, as well. All this to appear "gritty" and real?

No, my friends, this is called "dumbing down."

[starrianna]

10:47 AM on 09/03/2007

Oh my jiminy God, jesus heck you're right, by Cracky!

We shouldn't swear, even gratuitously! Heck! Whoopsie daisy, sorry! Mind your Ps and Qs and we'll all skip to grammar school after we get our lunchsacks out of the icebox and walk uphill both ways like our mammies and our pappies did!

Let's watch us some culture! With no swearin', cussin', or drinkin', or lovin'! Let's watch Fox all day long, watchin them wild cartoonies and that there American Idol. That there is some good fine entertainment, by Jiminy God!

Maybe next year I'll be smarter than a 5th grader too! By golly Jeeiminy!

[starrianna]

10:50 AM on 09/03/2007

P.S. Hey there, now, what's our Uncle Larry Craig doin' all this time in that there bathroom? Gee whiz heck, Uncle Larry Craig, you're missin the new episode of "Family Guy"!

[trotskyxxx]

08:34 AM on 09/03/2007

This just in from a Showtime executive: "That ad campaign takes balls."

[HouseOfRoberts]

03:57 AM on 09/03/2007

Didn't Penn and Teller do this one already?

[situationcritical]

01:44 AM on 09/03/2007

They absolutely right. Showtime is total crap.

[starrianna]

10:43 AM on 09/03/2007

No it's some good shit! Weeds rocks!
You cannot help getting into that show.

[You]

11:06 AM on 09/03/2007

But it's really GREAT shit, Mrs. Presky!