Grand Crew Introduces New Sexual Slang to Network TV

When things get sexy on network TV, sometimes writers have to get creative. Despite the increasing number of uncensored series on cable and streaming, writers for broadcast sitcoms, which are only getting hornier and hornier, still have pesky (and vague) “you know it when you see it” FCC rules to follow. It can certainly be stifling, but in the best case scenarios, it inspires delightful new innuendos. Thanks to Grand Crew Season 2, we now have some hot and fresh slang to add to the sexual lexicon.

The March 17 episode, “Wine & Neighbors,” is all about the crew getting back out there. Noah (Echo Kellum) is newly single after his girlfriend was deported to Canada, Fay (Grasie Mercedes) is suffering from a months-long dry spell, and Anthony (Aaron Jennings) is still hung up on his ex. Noah deals by simply never going home, staying perpetually out with strangers; Fay goes on a search for a douchebag who would be down for a one-night stand; and Anthony hooks up with “Neighbor Bae,” employing the age-old cliche that the only way to get over someone is to get under someone else — or in this case, behind them.

But Anthony isn’t quite as ready to play the field as he thought. While in the middle of sex with Neighbor Bae, he ends up full-on weeping. And as he tells Sherm (Carl Tart) while rehashing the night’s events, it happened while he was “eating in the back of the bakery.” It’s too much for Sherm to keep to himself, and we’re instantly treated to a Seinfeld-esque scene with a string of “back of the bakery references” between singles Anthony, Fay, and Nicky (Nicole Byer), who can’t help but shout with equal parts joy and disbelief, “You cried in the back of the bakery?!”

It’s a reminder of something that Grand Crew does so well: inventing witty euphemisms, and not just for risqué activities. For example, to Anthony, a “head case” is someone who uses their head while dating to great success, because “heads are smart and cases are strong,” and the most sexual parts of the body are of course the honey, the bunches, and the oats. When married Wyatt (Justin Cunningham) chimes in, it’s a prime example of how the show uses its restrained deployment of the censored “beep” for comedic effect. “I don’t want to get too deep into my relationship with Kristen (Maya Lynne Robinson), but I will say: I have never cried while eating [bleep].”

The scene highlights what makes Grand Crew great: the natural chemistry among the cast, the sharp writing and comedic timing, and the show’s ability to offer a new perspective on the world — or at the very least, bakeries.

Grand Crew airs Fridays at 8:30 PM ET on NBC and streams on Peacock the next day. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Brianna Wellen is a TV Reporter at Primetimer who became obsessed with television when her parents let her stay up late to watch E.R.