By the late 2000s, it was no longer shocking to see full frontal of a woman. In the late 90s, it wasn't uncommon to see bare breasts or butts in sex scenes. In 2008, the FCC proposed a $1.43 million fine against ABC TV stations for showing a partially nude woman in a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue and Janet Jackson's breast-baring wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show garnered CBS a proposed $550,000 fine.įree from the FCC's indecency and profanity regulations, premium cable channels in the late 90s and early 2000s started featuring programming that pushed the boundaries of what was once considered acceptable nudity on TV. With the sexual and social revolution of the '60s and '70s, TV started to tackle more serious social issues, such as abortion in Maude, and introduced the era of 'jiggle TV' with shows like Charlie's Angels, Wonder Woman, and Three's Company.Įven with these movements toward sexual liberation, American broadcast networks were and still are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), prohibiting them from airing 'acts of indecency' without receiving a hefty fine (unlike movies which could easily include nudity). In the not-so-distant past, TV shows depicted married couples – like Lucy and Ricky Ricardo – sleeping in separate twin beds to uphold the moral codes of the time along with censorship rules.
