Throughout the entirety of The Walking Dead, many viewers expressed their desire for at least a few F-bombs. However, because AMC is a basic cable channel, executives are pretty strict when it comes to profanity. However, Season 11, Episode 15, "Trust," finally made an aggressive F-bomb loud and clear.
While many cable channels permit most of the "seven dirty words" that George Carlin listed in his 1972 "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" monologue, a line typically has been drawn at the F-word. AMC's Breaking Bad, for example, was restricted to a limited amount of profanity each season, but it was fine without the F-word. Then there was The Walking Dead, which suffered a bit from such censorship. The comic book source material detailed a far more graphic world where the F-word was commonly used, especially by the influential antihero Negan. It made sense at the beginning of the TV series for there to be a lack of profanity, but as time went on and the survivors became hardened by their environment, it seemed questionable that their language was so angelic.
The History of Swearing on The Walking Dead
Back in Season 9, Episode 4, "The Obliged," The Walking Dead seemed to have dropped its first F-bomb, but fans weren't entirely sure. It was spoken by Norman Reedus' spinoff-bound Daryl Dixon, who grunts and mumbles so much that it was difficult to hear. But thanks to the power of subtitles, viewers confirmed that he said it while ranting to Rick Grimes: "...and you sure as f**k wouldn't have found any of us." That was the first time the show aired a character using the swear word, although behind-the-scenes footage and DVD exclusive scenes showed Rick using it in the final scene of Season 4 and again in Season 6. There was also an uncensored version of Negan's introduction that made his character more appealing to comic readers.
But in Season 11, there was an F-bomb even clearer and more satisfying. In "Trust," Lance Hornsby and a crew of Commonwealth soldiers were under the impression that Maggie Greene stole his weapons cache and took part in Riverbend's massacre. He questioned her son Hershel Jr. for information and was met with hostility by Elijah, Maggie and Daryl. With the Commonwealth soldiers already prepared to attack, Daryl responded to Lance with a very definite "Tell them to drop the guns or something really f*****g bad happens."
The Walking Dead Dropped More F-Bombs in Season 11
Daryl's F-bomb was met with excitement by fans, especially those who were disappointed by The Walking Dead's watered-down dialogue. The show was known for its blood, gore and raw visuals when it came to death, yet there was no reflection of that in its language. According to FanFest, AMC had a policy dropped before Season 8 where The Walking Dead was allowed two F-words per season -- which was utilized in Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead and partially in The Walking Dead: World Beyond. So it seemed the main series had been a little afraid of getting out of its comfort zone.
It could also have been that the show was in the last season and didn't have that much to lose anymore. Dropping an F-bomb here and there wasn't going to hurt in the long run because there was no long run anymore. Following Daryl's F-bomb in "Trust," The Walking Dead continued to write the F-word more, especially in Season 11C. Each episode, one character got the chance to say the F-word, so they had to mean it well -- such as when Negan saw the climbing variant of walkers for the first time in the penultimate episode. But the show's use of profanity in "Trust" was so much more impactful because of how rare it was at that point. Daryl spitting swears at Lance showed the anger he reached when someone threatened the people he cared about the most, and that realization made The Walking Dead's lack of casual swearing worth it.
All 11 seasons of The Walking Dead are available to stream on Netflix and AMC+.