What does "FUBAR" mean? Title of Netflix series explained

Schwarzenegger leads the cast of FUBAR as a CIA operative on the brink of retirement who is called for one more undercover mission and must save another operative.

Fans might have been hooked in by the high octane action, but many have been left scratching their head over the series title FUBAR and what it means.

If that includes you, read on for everything you need to know about the meaning behind the title.

Netflix's "FUBAR": What does the Netflix title mean?

Interestingly, throughout all eight episodes of the series, the show's title is never addressed - and it's only in the last line of the entire series that it's even used.

In the finale, entitled That's It And That's All, Luke drives his team, Tally and the rest of his family away from the chapel.

In those chaotic final scenes of the series, his ex-wife realises she's in a car surrounded by CIA operatives. They explain to her that they're currently on the run and can no longer return home after being well and truly burned by Boro, now that their identities have all been revealed.

When Tally asks what happens now, Luke shakes his head and simply says: "I don't know. It's totally FUBAR."

The term acts as the perfect punchline to describe the mess that Luke, Emma and the rest of their team now find themselves in.

With Boro (Gabriel Luna) having revealed their identities to every criminal, terrorist and bad guy Luke has ever come toe-to-toe with, it's safe to say that things aren't looking good for the Brunners. They can't return home and things are very much left on an open-ended note for the series.

But the term isn't one that the show or Schwarzenegger has invented, it's a military acronym that stands for “f**ked up beyond all recognition”.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the term is used to mean "extremely bad or certain to fail or be defeated or destroyed".

The phrase dates back to 1944 and is commonly used among those in the military. But for the movie lovers among us, you may recognise the term from other films including Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan and 1989's Tango & Cash with Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone.

The exact wording of the acronym can change and can also be interchanged with "f**ked up beyond all repair" or "fouled up beyond all recognition", but the meaning remains the same: it describes a scenario, much like the one in FUBAR's finale, where things are well and truly in ruin.

Netflix, of course, has taken the liberty of joking around with the ambiguous term, releasing teasers stating that the letters stand for "full throttle, father daughter bonding" and then "uncomfortable situations, bombs, bullets, bullet trains, abs" and "R" being the sound you make when you say Arnold's name.

FUBAR is now available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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