Oh sure, they do it all the time on network TV shows, and quite well on the good ones. The language isn't really "missed" at all. To pick a popular character at random, Sawyer, on Lost. He was obviously the type who would curse up a storm in real life. They got around it. He still cursed, but it was PG. On Firefly they made up an entire new language of curse words, and it was brilliant. And to leave the world of TV, of course our beloved Classic films didn't use any harsh language at all to speak of.RedRiver wrote:I could drive myself batty considering the difference between realism and believability. But there is one. Something can feel genuine within the confines of the story, thanks to the creativity of writer and director, even though it would rarely happen in real life.
I guess language doesn't bother me, and its presence in a show never detracts, for me. If it's not there, it's not as if I find a show "unrealistic", or am bothered by its absence at all. I just know how people generally talk and it doesn't phase me at all to hear it on TV and in movies. Necessary? Nope. But I'm fine with it (using my caveats from earlier).