 Carey and Helford co @-@ wrote the pilot episode together . Helford had expected The Drew Carey Show to air at 8 : 30pm . When ABC placed the show in the 7 : 30pm slot , Helford agreed to soften the language in the pilot . An executive from Standards and Practices had asked for nine words deemed offensive to be removed from the script , as well as a mention of Jack Daniel 's and a line that implied one of the characters was going to buy and use drugs . 
