Once upon a time, long before we traipsed the curse-filled hills of Game of Thrones or the “shitâ€-peppered monologues of Mad Men, television was a squeaky-clean environment. If you turned on your TV set in 1969, the odds of hearing someone swear were roughly similar to the odds of getting abducted by aliens. What changed? How did we get to the filthy television landscape we enjoy today? And what are the rules holding some channels back from cursing like sailors? Find out in the latest episode of “Vulture’s Secret History of Televisionâ€! Tune in Wednesdays for more, and check out past installments, which look at phenomena like crossovers and “lesbian-kiss episodes.â€
