I'm amazed the b word got by the censors here in the UK as it's classified as a naughty word here and given its actual meaning, definitely not something that should be in kids tv. It amuses me hugely that they used it though.
I remember Christy Marx saying something about Jetta in the original Jem series saying 'bloody' on at least one occasions. Albeit she did it to be mischievous...and it got through. I think the word we're talking about is worse though...I think it's a watershed word, which means it should be bleeped out ahead of 9pm (thus not in kids tv).
So well done Netflix.
I will probably watch it though. If just to see a character use that word in a kids tv show. I'm shallow.
On the 5 ep series thing. I immediately thought of the origin of the Jem series. The first five...which are essentially extended episodes drawn from Truly Outrageous into five full episodes. On the DVD release, that's considered season 1. Then season 2 starts with Starbright. So 5 eps actually has eighties precedent, albeit for a Hasbro franchise...
It's true though that original Heman didn't work that way. And honestly, I've always ignored the idea that the first 5 are a separate series, I always consider them the start of season 1 and that season 2 begins with either Glitter & Gold or Talent Search depending on where you want to draw the line. But officially...*shrug*