Netflix really is making a Nicolas Cage TV show about swearing – and it's out soon

Nicolas Cage History of Swear Words
(Image credit: Adam Rose/Netflix)

Netflix, like the rest of us and a particularly great episode of Community, knows that actor Nicolas Cage has a meme-worthy, impossible-to-explain charm. That's why the trailer for one of its upcoming series, a documentary called History of Swear Words, starts with the Leaving Last Vegas and The Wicker Man actor unleashing an F-bomb.

Despite looking pretty throwaway, like something you might've seen on VH1 20 years ago, the show will dive into the etymology of some of your favorite curse words. You'll also see numerous pop culture figures in the mix, like comedian Sarah Silverman and Nick Offerman, best known as Parks and Recreation's Ron Swanson. 

We already learned something just from watching the trailer. There's a fairly common urban legend behind the origin of the F-word: that it's an acronym for 'Fornication Under Consent of the King', which is actually total nonsense (here's a good Snopes article on that). When, after all, would a king have time to sign off on all of his citizens procreating?

Still, the real reason you're going to check this show out is to see Cage himself swear – and the trailer doesn't disappoint in that regard. Check it out below:

We're expecting an extremely frivolous but fun documentary series when History of Swear Words lands on January 5, 2021. 

What else does Netflix have coming up in January?

January isn't a traditionally busy time for TV shows, but for Netflix, the release schedule never really slows down. Nicolas Cage aside, January 2021 sees the release of Cobra Kai season 3 (January 8), the third season of Matt Groening's animated fantasy show Disenchantment (January 15) and yet another grisly-sounding true crime documentary called Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer.

So, if you were hoping to use your break to catch up on TV you missed in 2020, there's a whole bunch more coming your way as soon as next year begins.

Samuel Roberts

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor, he's an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.

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