User Reviews

Six twenty one minute long little shows. All are hosted by Nicolas Cage. And each looks at the history of a certain naughty word.

This shows in each episode is, one third fun, one third interesting, and one third annoying.

Nicolas Cage pieces where he talks about the words and their usages are really good fun. He makes for a great host getting the tone right.

The bits that actually do the history of the word are interesting. Particularly in the sixth one where you get more of it than others, especially re a certain famous film quote.

The annoying part comes from the talking heads. A lot of the people in this who give opinions are captioned with their name and it says as well they are a comedian. Which is handy to know they are supposed to be, as none of them are very funny. At all. And whilst I don't want to use the word woke in a derogatory sense, some are so opinionated in a way like people who think they are right and everyone else is thus wrong and a bigot. Or a misogynist. And the third episode does venture a few opinions based on the word in question that go by a definition of it I really don't think is accurate at all.

Get through these parts though, because the rest of the episodes, for the bits I mentioned above, are worth it. Just for those.

Less of a history more of a commentary and honestly it got rather boring. Actors expressing their opinions on curse words isn't exactly informative. Totally not offended by these swear words and it wasn't very entertaining.

If you like the ever eccentric Nick Cage and his unique style then you might enjoy this if you remember not to take it too seriously. It is quite light so if you are expecting a deeply detailed documentary you may be disappointed. Could it have been better? Probably, but it is giving me a good chuckle.

We have made it in 2021 and it feels like this is an appropriate time for a documentary about the history of swear words hosted by none other then Nicolas Cage and I have watched the 6 short episodes and here is my review for it.

So first onto the biggest part of the show which is Nicolas Cage as the host and he is great and clearly revels here and is having a blast of a time. When I think of this show he is literally the only guy who could host it and he adds so much energy to this show and is the highlight for me.

Now onto the actual show, it is pretty funny and has a good selection of experts and comedians talking about a subject that is pretty taboo and it is pretty refreshing to watch and here these words talked about and widely accepted.

It is also cool how they show the evolution of swearing in film, tv and music and shows even though it is a subject not really spoken about it has influenced pop culture and people from plenty of different backgrounds whether they be male or female.

But this show isn't as funny as it maybe thinks it is, to begin with it is funny hearing them swearing but after a while it becomes a bit dull and like it is no longer shocking and the show doesn't bring much to the table.

Also there are some swear words clearly missing and whether this is setting up a second season or whether it has been avoided on purpose due to the sensitive nature which is disappointing.

Overall, this is a pretty funny show that talks about swears openly and it is a show you can get through pretty quickly which aids in its watch ability and maybe if you are interested in the subject then maybe give it some time.

Rating - 7/10.

I did not mind the political or feminist undertones of the series, quite enjoyed that it gives perspective and social aspect. Unfortunately as previous reviewers said - there was not much history - in a series named that way. Majority of guests were there just to give their opinions about the swear words much more than any useful information and if you did not know who they are/like them you wouldn't really care about their words. I think they would be much better off making it into yt videos than actual series. This way they could maybe mix up guests a bit or do it a weekly occurrence where people could vote who they would like to see in the next episode? As well as that viewers tend to have less expectations when it comes to yt videos and they can also comment so... yeah. Fast watch, but pretty whatever.

With episodes of just twenty minutes, "History of Swear Words" has been a useful filler show for us. Don't quite want to go to bed just yet, how about a "Swear Words" show... perfect.

Nicholas Cage hosts the show where lexicographers and various other talking heads explain the etymology and usage of various swear words. Mostly the show takes the form of straight to camera delivery, but there is some crude animation, use of timelines, chapter headings and clips from movies all helping to tell the story.

Cage is an interesting choice to host the show. He is game for most things and he's great at swearing - though occasionally it's not hard to tell that this was a day's work and his heart is not necessarily in it. I liked the three historians explaining about the origins of the word, and how the usage and meaning has changed over the centuries - I felt they added to the show. Less successful are the various comedians who contribute. I genuinely don't think that any of their contributions made me laugh, even the ones from people I recognised. They occasionally had the guest spot on, such as Isiah Whitlock Jr for the episode about 'Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeettt' - although the skit they made him do again, wasn't very funny.

I don't want to make it sound like I disliked it - it's such a thin premise and the episodes are so fleeting that there really isn't that much to form an opinion on one way or the other. I'd watch more, if they can think of another six swearwords to do, but again only to fill time around stuff I actually want to watch.

Nic Cage was born to host this show, the slew of co-hosts enhance & balance the content without being overbearing.

Obviously not for kids or those with no sense of humour. The show delves into the origin of the word and how its used today, which, is actually rather fascinating.

I'd love to see a second season!

The worst thing about this is Nicholas Cage desperately and obviously self-consciously trying to funk it up. Love him as an actor but he's all wrong for this hosting.

The likes of Kathy Griffin or Sarah Silverman or Charlie Sheen would have been a great natural fit ... just weird the job's given to a clearly uncomfortable bearded NC. Whoever's the decision maker for this ought to be shot. Possibly NC comes real cheap nowadays - poor thing :(

While there's some decent attempt at historical etymology it could sometimes have greater depth and breadth to balance out the fun froth from some of the comedians.

Indeed one of my favourite discoveries from this series is the blues singer Lucille Bogan born in 1897 who coolly and delightfully sang explicit profane lyrics. Yup she's on Spotify.

Overall recommended until a better one comes along.

I was really disappointed by this show. Netflix did a great job in the advertising to sell the premise but the delivery is extremely long winded, with a lot of uninteresting talking heads who are introduced as "comedians" but don't say anything even verging on comedic.

Nic Cage's pieces are entertaining but if you want the history of swear words you will get more entertainment simply googling their origins and reading a few sites than watching this.

When I saw the trailer for the series, I expected it to be more of a comedy with various celebrities explaining curse words rather than established scholars detailing the words' various meanings and origins.

Some of my favorite scenes were misconceptions about some of the words and debunking them. For example, there was no such thing deemed Fornication Under Consent of the King. That was just an elaborate origin concocted by someone who wanted to give the grandfather of all profanities a fitting story for its name. There is an official term for this: acronymic etymology. Acronymic etymology is the practice of using letters in a word to create an origin story.

Acronymic etymology is not alone when it comes to crafting a fascinating origin story of an expletive. Another term, folk etymology, achieves this very same goal as many people believe a false tale to be true. So, I will not spoil that story as that is quite funny to watch.

I do have to say that some of the celebrities were very annoying in my opinion. I always love Nick Offerman and what he said was very funny in every scene. I have liked her in other projects, but I found Nikki Glaser to be somewhat annoying in this one. I did, however, really like London Hughes and Joel Kim Booster. Both of them were very funny and I am planning on watching London's recent special.

Another thing I really liked was how different cultures view the same curse words. If a Caucasian person were to say the word damn, it would just be a plain damn. However, the perspective of African American comedians who appeared on the show said how it is prolonged, similar to DAAAAMN. I have noticed this, but it was interesting to see that even certain words can be said differently. The inclusion of Isiah Whitlock Jr. was absolutely genius to further demonstrate how intonations and speech can vary with different cultures.

Nicholas Cage was an amazing host and I hope that I see him in more TV shows and films. His sense of humor was something that I appreciated.

I highly suggest the series because it is very educational. I also did not consider different meanings of famous swear words until I watched the show. If you are reading this review, I hope you watch History of Swear Words and enjoy!

Nick Cage was unquestionably the best choice for host. I thought he did a great job and I really enjoyed his segments. Each episode tackles a different word and its "history", but they each also feature interviews with different comedians giving commentary on the current landscape, and I felt like this really hurt the idea of this show. The most interesting parts of each episode were the actual historians and linguistics experts explaining where the words came from and why, but almost every time the comedians came on I just kept thinking "why are they here? I don't care what they have to say".

I think the show tried to straddle the line between "informative" and "comedy" but failed to really be either. It either needed to fully commit to being a documentary or fully adopt a comedic style, and in my opinion, doing it as a documentary with Nick Cage bringing some light narration/hosting would have been brilliant. If they end up doing a second season there's definitely room for improvement.

All that being said, I did learn some things and my interest was kept through the entire show so I can't completely write it off.

The trailer for this show is a solid 8/10 so just watch that. This isn't funny or informative. I was hoping to learn genuine origins of swear words and have a laugh at the same time. Instead I got jabbering talking heads pontificating and posturing about the books they've written or qualifications they have, interspersed with "comedians" talking about swearing.

Nicolas Cage is the best thing about this, which speaks volumes.

My first impression was that Nicolas Cage aged like a fine wine, performing some choice acting in the opening of the show. At a certain point they go to the history of a word, which is as you can guess mostly lost in time. Later they mix in the opinion of semi-famous people about swearwords, which I don't really care about. They could have added in the most famous occurrences in pop-culture but I guess that might have gotten too expensive. In conclusion, its not very bingable, but good enough to watch an episode every now and then.

Comedians, historians, and Nic Cage reflect on curse words and their origins... with comedy mixed in for some good measure.

I swear a lot and am also a grammar and vocab freak so the "experts" were especially interesting for me. But damn is not a swear word and I really would have liked them to address the most taboo and harshest swear: the C-word. Especially because it's not taboo in the UK or Australia and both genders are called that whereas in the US (the series is definitely from an American point of view), only a female would ever be called that. So ironically, even the C-word is too taboo for the history of swear words! But serious, "Damn" as a swear?! Most kids don't even get scolded for saying it. Def skip that episode.

Good entertainment when you're stuck at home with Corona. I don't have much more to say, not incredibly valuable or teaching you anything you don't know, but good entertainment.

Nick Cage is, well he's himself and more a narrator then full participant. If cussing is interesting to you, or if you want to know the entomology, rather where these words came from give this a go.

Netflix's new comedy series "History of Swear Words" gives us Nicholas Cage, comedy, and a lot of swearing. We learn about 6 different words, but sadly it is less of history more of a commentary of random comedians. Even tho the linguists and philologists having some interesting perspectives, there is no point to take it too seriously. Those who wait for a deeply detailed documentary will be disappointed. There is absolutely no difference in opinion among any of the interviewees and it always somehow leans towards a feminist narrative and social politics. Keep both Nicks (Cage and Offerman) and scientists, scratch the rest of it.

For a show named "History of Swear Words", you would think that it would mostly consist of historical information with a little bit of comedy mixed in; kind of like Half As Interesting for those who know.

Literally less than half of an average episode is based on the history itself. Nic Cage and Nick Offerman are some of the very few good comedians featured in this series, which is overall very boring, dull, and repetitive tbh.

I really disliked this show to the point where I was watching it and 1.5x speed to get through it.

I find this show hilarious and interesting. I hope this gets renewed for another season.

Wow as someone who thought this show was interesting and fun and Nicola Cage was good host I had no idea where any of these words come from i've always thought that they were just words I've heard growing up but now I understand a lot more where they come from and I also appreciate that in addition to actors and guest stars they actually had actual people who know what they're talking about on this special limited series and I highly recommend it and this also works as a limited series and i Definitely think that the series still holds up after three years and doesn't need a season two want to learn something.

Starts with a great episode and then you realise that much of what they say follows the same script. Which appart from Cage and a couple of guys seems more like a feminist take on words than a History. Too bad it turned out this bad.

The whole point is to go behind the history of the swear words which we use regularly and go through its history and prevalence of using it. It also mocks the taboo of swear words by just explaining these wear words by just repeating it again and again throughout the show to the point you just get used to it.

I would use the word "history" very loosely to describe this show. While there are some etymology experts who provide background, its mostly comedians giving their opinions and perceptions of swear words.