For Big Brother 2013, CBS announced that the popular uncensored live show Big Brother After Dark would be moving from Showtime to TVGN. Fan reactions so far have not been altogether positive, with many complaining they don’t have access to the TVGN channel, and others worried about censorship with the show’s move from premium to basic cable.
Showtime, of course, is well known for their racy programming, including late night movies and shows that leave virtually nothing to the imagination. Thus, Big Brother After Dark, which sometimes features spectacular wardrobe malfunctions, nude streaking, HouseGuests humping and other adult material (along with frequent and colorful cursing), was never a problem on Showtime.
TVGN, the new home of Big Brother After Dark, is a basic cable channel, however, and works under different rules about what can and cannot be shown on TV. Despite this, however, TVGN’s Leslie Furuta, Senior Vice President of Communications and Media Relations, swore nothing at all will change about BBAD being on TVGN versus Showtime.
“Fans aren’t going to miss out on any context or hot moments happening on After Dark,” Furuta told Big Brother Network, stating that while the show must adhere to basic cable standards, those are very relaxed during late night hours.
Some fans pointed out the phrase “curated live feeds” in the promotion of Big Brother After Dark this season as another possible hint at censorship this year on TVGN. Furuta, however, assured BBN this is not the case. She said that “curated” is only about making sure the feeds aren’t focusing on empty rooms or unimportant content, and it doesn’t mean “monitored to prevent viewers from seeing something naughty.”
While BBN says all this means that Big Brother After Dark will not be censored at all, the first episode on TVGN after the season 15 premiere was full of bleeps and muted bits of conversation. The show was obviously also on a time delay to prevent viewers from catching any live mishaps producers didn’t want us to see. With just words already being censored out, we’re pretty sure we won’t be seeing those accidental (or on purpose) naked moments on TVGN either. We just really want to know what happened with that whole ‘we aren’t going to censor’ thing?
If you don’t mind the bleeps and blurs, however, you can head over to TVGN to find out if you get the channel in your area and will be able to tune in to Big Brother After Dark this season from 12:00 to 2:00 AM live ET/delayed PT for 13 weeks.
