Pokémon – Electric Soldier Porygon
Arguably the most controversial banned episode of all time, Electric Soldier Porygon was broadcast on December 16th, 1997. The reason for the episode’s infamy is the fact that it caused widespread seizures – apparently the result of a sequence featuring strobing lights – with more than 600 children ending up in hospital. The episode has never been broadcast again, in any country.
Ren & Stimpy – Man’s Best Friend
Not only did Nickelodeon refuse to air the Ren & Stimpy episode Man’s Best Friend, but they completely cut ties with the show’s creator as a direct result of it. The episode contained a stunningly violent scene in which Ren brutalizes George with an oar, and the network was so shocked that they fired both John Kricfalusi and his production company. A whole new team was then brought in to take over the show.
Boy Meets World – Prom-Ises Prom-Ises
Prom-Ises Prom-Ises – a season five episode of the popular Disney show Boy Meets World – tackled the familiar topic of teens planning to lose their virginities at prom. Even though the show’s protagonist and his girlfriend end up not going through with the deed, the episode’s sexual themes still generated enough backlash for Disney to pull it after its initial broadcast.
The Twilight Zone – The Encounter
Starring George Takei, The Encounter seemingly starts out as a critique of the racism faced by Japanese Americans in the wake of WWII. Then, it transpires that Takei’s character actually is a Japanese spy, a revelation that is followed by him brandishing a samurai sword and shouting “banzai” before jumping through a window. Unsurprisingly, the episode was banned on account of being wildly racist.
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command – Super Nova
The 21st episode of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Super Nova opens with Mira absorbing some energy from a ship’s reactor and promptly getting hooked on the stuff. Cue a genuinely distressing depiction of addiction, complete with an intervention and Mira desperately begging for energy as she goes through withdrawals. The episode aired, but was swiftly pulled.
Star Trek: The Next Generation – The High Ground
In a 1990 episode titled The High Ground, Star Trek: The Next Generation got surprisingly political. At one point, Data mentions the IRA’s long-running terrorist campaign, which at that point was still raging in real life, noting that the organization was ultimately successful in its aim of unifying Ireland. Unsurprisingly, this led to the episode getting slapped with a ban in the United Kingdom.
South Park – 200
The makers of South Park actively court controversy, and most episodes manage to offend at least one person or group. Still, the show’s 200th episode is easily its most shocking. The episode whipped up outrage by depicting the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, which is considered sacrilege, leading to death threats against Trey Parker and Matt Stone. As a result, Comedy Central only aired a heavily censored version.
Fear Factor – Hee Haw! Hee Haw!
Fear Factor isn’t exactly known for its highbrow humour, but Hee Haw! Hee Haw! was so revolting that it managed to earn a ban. The episode derives its title from the fact that contestants were tasked with consuming large amounts of donkey semen, with a cash prize going to whoever managed to ingest the most. Gross!
Seinfeld – Puerto Rican Day
The season 20 episode of Seinfeld, Puerto Rican Day was banned for supposedly promoting racism towards Puerto Ricans. This accusation stemmed from a scene in which Kramer accidentally sets fire to a Puerto Rican flag, which he then stamps on in an attempt to extinguish the flames. While the whole point of the joke is Kramer’s behaviour being misinterpreted as racist, this was apparently lost on censors.
Peppa Pig – Mister Skinnylegs
The 47th episode of Peppa Pig’s first season, Mister Skinny Legs revolves around the titular pig befriending a spider. The episode was supposed to teach kids that spiders are nothing to be afraid of, a completely harmless message in the show’s native UK. That sentiment wasn’t quite so welcome in Australia, however, where spiders are more than capable of killing kids, so the episode was quickly banned Down Under.
Pokémon – Beauty and the Beach
While Pokémon’s 1997 episode Beauty and the Beach did at least manage to avoid hospitalizing any children, it still got banned in most countries outside of Japan. The episode revolves around a beauty contest, which James sneaks into by donning a pair of fake breasts. Proceedings get even weirder when Misty, who was later confirmed to be ten years old, complains that she has a flatter chest than James.
Hawaii Five-O – Bored, She Hung Herself
The 16th episode of Hawaii Five-O’s second season, Bored, She Hung Herself sees the team investigating the death of a teenager who, it turns out, accidentally asphyxiated herself while trying a dangerous yoga technique. After the episode aired, a viewer reportedly died while attempting to replicate the technique, resulting in the episode being dropped from the season two DVD release.
The Cartridge Family – The Simpsons
While The Simpsons is known for tackling weighty themes, it normally does so with enough deftness way to avoid stoking controversy. Few subjects are as touchy in the United States as gun ownership, however, and when The Simpsons released an episode which revolves around Homer’s reckless behaviour after purchasing a firearm, networks refused to air it.
Beavis and Butt-Head – Comedians
The first episode of Beavis and Butt-Head’s third season, Comedians depicts the hapless duo accidentally burning down a comedy club. A month later, a five-year-old boy burned down his trailer home, killing his two-year-old sister. It was suggested that the boy was inspired by the episode, causing MTV to cancel all future reruns.
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood – Mister Rogers Talks About Conflict
In an effort to help kids deal with the fear of nuclear war, in 1983 Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood released an episode titled Mister Rogers Talks About Conflict. While the intentions were undeniably pure, many parents accused the episode of scaring their children unnecessarily, and so it was swiftly banned.
The X-Files – Home
Home was supposed to be the second episode of The X-Files’ fourth season, but it ended up getting banned just before release. The episode revolved around a deformed family who repeatedly impregnated their own mother in an act of inbreeding, and it was considered too disturbing to air on television.
The Amanda Show – Episode 29
The Amanda Show’s 29th episode follows the Lucklesses, a family with relentlessly terrible fortune. The episode aired a few months before the horrific attacks that struck America in September 2001, and some felt that the ending – which depicts the Lucklesses’ house getting destroyed by a meteor – was too similar, leading to the episode getting banned from airing again.
Degrassi: The Next Generation – Accidents Will Happen
A season three episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Accidents Will Happen was ahead of the curve with its thoughtful handling of the issues surrounding abortion. Unfortunately, this was back in 2004, and anything related to abortion was guaranteed to stoke instant controversy. The episode was banned, generating furious backlash from the pro-life movement.
Dance Moms – Topless Showgirls
A reality show documenting the trials and tribulations of talented child dancers, Dance Moms attracted sharp criticism with its season two episode Topless Showgirls. The episode saw the children – most of whom were preteens at the time – performing a showgirl-style routine while wearing flesh-coloured leotards to simulate their being topless. For completely obvious reasons, the episode was lambasted when it aired, and it’s never been broadcast since.
The Simpsons – Stark Raving Dad
The first episode of The Simpsons’ third season, Stark Raving Dad featured a guest appearance from Michael Jackson, who voices a character Homer meets in a psychiatric hospital. While Jackson isn’t credited, the episode was still pulled from streaming services in 2019 in the wake of fresh child abuse allegations against the musician.
Community – Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Community is more known for its sharp dialogue and surreal humour than for courting controversy, but it did manage to cause enough of a stir with its season two episode Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for Netflix to pull the episode from its catalogue. The source of the backlash was a brief scene in which Chang – portrayed by Ken Jeong – was shown in blackface portraying a Drow.
13 Reasons Why – Tape 7, Side
A Netflix Originals series, 13 Reasons Why tackles a number of heavy themes including depression, assault and substance abuse. The finale of the first season originally included an incredibly graphic sequence depicting Hannah’s method of taking her own life, which generated an immediate and intense backlash. While the episode is still available on Netflix, the scene in question has been significantly cut down.
Arthur – The Great MacGrady
Initially aired in 2009, The Great MacGrady follows Arthur and his friends as they struggle to understand their lunch lady’s cancer diagnosis. Lance Armstrong made a cameo in the episode, discussing his own experiences with cancer, and the episode was pulled in 2012 after the athlete was caught using performance-enhancing drugs.
TaleSpin – Flying Dupes
Had it not been prevented from airing, Flying Dupes would have been TaleSpin’s final episode. The plot revolved around Baloo delivering a package, which turned out to be an explosive sent by an arms dealer trying to start a war. As it turned out, Disney wasn’t enthusiastic about broadcasting an episode with such loaded themes, and Flying Dupes was swiftly canned.
Boy Meets World – If You Can’t be with the One You Love
Boy Meets World touched on some challenging subjects throughout its runtime. In the season five episode If You Can’t be with the One You Love, Corey – having recently been dumped – discovers that alcohol is an effective way to numb the pain. The episode goes on to explore the intergenerational nature of alcoholism, which caused Disney to pull it when the show was syndicated on the Disney Channel.
Sesame Street – Episode 847
While episode 847 of the beloved children’s show Sesame Street did initially air, it was banned from being broadcast again after parents complained that it had scared their kids. The episode featured Margaret Hamilton of The Wizard of Oz fame in full costume and makeup, which apparently was more than some kids could handle. Heartbreakingly, the purpose of the episode was to show that Hamilton actually wasn’t scary in real life!
Tiny Toon Adventures – Elephant Issues
Intended for release in 1991, Elephant Issues included a sequence in which Buster, Plucky and Hamton get wasted, steal a police car and then drive it off a cliff. Naturally, Fox wasn’t thrilled about broadcasting an episode of a kids show that depicted alcohol abuse, crime and violent death, and Elephant Issues was shelved.
Scrubs – My Jiggly Ball
In 2020, Scrubs joined the ranks of TV shows that have had episodes pulled for depicting a character in blackface. The offending moment comes during one of the show’s trademark cutaway gags, in which JD imagines his perfect roommate as a cross between Elliott – his white crush – and Turk, his black best friend. Yikes!
SpongeBob Squarepants – Mid-Life Crustacean
Like most kids’ shows, SpongeBob Squarepants sneaks in the odd adult joke. While Nickelodeon is generally fine with this, the network took issue with the season three episode Mid-Life Crustacean, which features SpongeBob breaking into a woman’s house to steal her underwear. The network initially refused to air the episode, and – while they did eventually show it a couple of times – it’s been pulled from all reruns.
Only Fools and Horses – A Royal Flush
Widely considered one of Only Fools and Horses’ worst episodes, A Royal Flush sees Rodney getting cosy with an upper-class family, which causes Del to become increasingly unpleasant and aggressive. This was widely seen as out of keeping with the character – who, despite his occasional criminality, is mostly a decent guy – and the episode was replaced by a heavily edited version in future releases.
Friends – The One Where Rachel Tells
The first cut of The One Where Rachel Tells included a scene in which Chandler cracks jokes about bombs at an airport, leading to a security alert. Unsurprisingly, NBC insisted that the sequence be cut from the episode, resulting in a hasty reshoot that led to blatant continuity errors. The original episode remains locked away in NBC’s vault, and will likely never see the light of day.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth
People getting offended by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn’t exactly an unusual phenomenon, but the season six episode Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth managed to stray far enough across the line to find itself pulled from streaming services. The episode sees the gang creating a Lethal Weapon 5 short film, with Mac playing Roger Murtaugh – in full blackface, of course.
Married… With Children – I’ll See You in Court
Referred to as the show’s “lost episode” by the creator of Married… With Children, I’ll See You in Court never aired after Fox refused to broadcast it. The episode followed the Bundy couple’s attempts to rekindle their ailing love life by hooking up in a seedy motel, only to end up getting secretly filmed by the motel’s equally seedy owners.
Family Guy – Partial Terms of Endearment
For a show as comfortable trafficking in risqué subject matter as Family Guy, it’s kind of amazing that only a single episode has ever been permanently banned in the United States. That episode is Partial Terms of Endearment, and it earned censors’ ire with its abortion-themed storyline, which includes a shot of an unborn fetus clutching a card that reads ‘Mom don’t kill me, I wuv you.’
Hannibal – Oeuf
Shocking depictions of violence and bleak subject matter are central to Hannibal, but one episode in the show’s first season was too much even for the creator of the show. Ouef revolves around a woman who brainwashes children into killing their parents, and series creator Bryan Fuller decided to pull the episode after news of a horrific school shooting rocked the nation shortly before it was due to air.
The Powerpuff Girls – See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey
The 12th episode of The Powerpuff Girls’ fifth season, See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey was pulled by Cartoon Network over concerns that it contained religious imagery. Specifically, the episode included a hippy character who executives felt was too similar to Jesus, and a shot of a destroyed building showing some exposed beams that formed the shape of a cross.
South Park – Rainforest Shmainforest
After a trip to Costa Rica – which he later described as “hot and dirty and smelly” – Trey Parker came back and wrote an absolutely scathing South Park episode that depicted the country as an inhospitable hellscape. Costa Rica’s tourism ministry was predictably miffed, and the government soon banned the episode throughout the country.
Cow and Chicken – Buffalo Gals
While the writers of Cow and Chicken have been known to sneak in adult jokes from time to time, they pushed things too far in the season two episode Buffalo Gals. The episode included a group of female bikers who break into Cow and Chicken’s house and begin to chew the carpets and, while it’s doubtful that the innuendo would have been understood by kids, it still led to a ban.
My Little Pony – The Last Roundup
As My Little Pony’s popularity grew, fans started naming background characters. One such character, who appeared cross-eyed due to a quirk of animation, was affectionately named “Derpy”. In the episode The Last Roundup, the show’s writers made the name official, and gave Derpy a silly voice that some felt mocked those with learning difficulties. As a result, the episode was pulled.
30 Rock – Believe in the Stars
Another episode that generated a backlash over a scene depicting blackface, Believe in the Stars was pulled from syndication on June 22nd, 2022. The decision to remove the episode from streaming services was made by series creator and star Tina Fey, who also pulled three other episodes for similar reasons.
Pokémon – The Legend of Miniryu
While The Legend of Miniryu was broadcast in Japan, it was banned in pretty much every other country. The reason for the ban was the episode’s heavy focus on firearms, culminating in a scene in which the safari warden brandishes a revolver at Ash – who is a literal child – and threatens to shoot him.
Fawlty Towers – The Germans
While it’s often considered a classic Fawlty Towers episode, The Germans has repeatedly stoked controversy. First aired in 1975, the episode sees Basil Fawlty deeply offending a group of German guests with his repeated references to the Second World War, which led to accusations that it fomented anti-German sentiment. Basil also employs a few racial slurs throughout the episode, which resulted in it getting pulled from streaming services in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force – Boston
As part of the promotional campaign for the season five premiere of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, LED screens were left in various locations around Boston. Unfortunately, this resulted in a bomb scare that shut down the entire city, and Cartoon Network’s parent company was fined $2 million. Adult Swim was also forced to pull the episode, which never aired.
The Cleveland Show – The Hurricane!
A crossover episode with Family Guy, The Hurricane! was supposed to be the second episode of The Cleveland Show’s third season. Shortly before the episode was due to air, the United States was struck by a series of deadly tornadoes which claimed hundreds of lives, and the episode was pulled from scheduling, with a rerun of a previous episode shown instead.
South Park – Bloody Mary
Even for a show as consistently provocative as South Park, Bloody Mary was still considered a wildly controversial episode. Aired on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception – a Catholic celebration centered around the Virgin Mary – Bloody Mary managed to generate an intense backlash through its depiction of a Virgin Mary statue that bleeds from its rear end.
The Office – Dwight Christmas
The rare example of a British comedy remade for American audiences that was actually good, The Office is one of the most beloved shows of all time. While the show’s humor was rarely too controversial, the season nine episode Dwight Christmas has been removed from streaming services due a scene depicting a character in blackface.
Star Trek – The Empath
Broadcast in the United States on December 6th, 1968, The Empath is the 12th episode of Star Trek’s third season. The episode revolves around a nightmarish planet populated by powerful aliens that torture the Starship Enterprise’s landing party, with the BBC deciding that the subject matter was too disturbing to broadcast for British audiences.
Excel Saga – Going Too Far
Based on the manga by Koshi Rikudo, Excel Saga was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1999 to March 2000. The show’s final episode – titled Going Too Far – deliberately crammed in as many unfit for TV images as it could within a one minute sequence. Obviously, TV Tokyo refused to air the episode, which was basically the point anyway.
Earshot – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A season three episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Earshot features the titular character gaining the ability to overhear thoughts after accidentally absorbing some of a demon’s power. As a result of her newfound ability, Buffy is able to vanquish an attempt to massacre the students at her high school. The episode was hastily pulled due to the Columbine shooting, which took place shortly before it was scheduled to broadcast.
Ren & Stimpy – Hermit Ren
Originally scheduled to air on October 1st, 1994, Hermit Ren sees Ren – thoroughly disgusted both with Stimpy and the state of the world in general – retreating into isolation. This precipitates a slow descent into madness, and Nickelodeon ultimately decided the subject matter was simply too dark for kids.
Darkwing Duck – Hot Spells
Originally aired in 1992, Hot Spells features the literal devil trying to tempt the show’s main characters into using forbidden spells. American parents weren’t exactly thrilled about their kids being exposed to satanic imagery, and Hot Spells soon became the only banned episode in the show’s history.
Beavis and Butt-Head – Incognito
The seventh episode of Beavis and Butt-Head’s third season, Incognito sees the hapless protagonists accidentally incur the wrath of a gang leader. In order to protect themselves, the pair smuggle a handgun into school, a joke which didn’t age well at all, as the United States was rocked by a number of school shootings throughout the 90s. MTV has confirmed that the episode will never be released for home viewing.
Ren & Stimpy – It’s a Dog’s Life
In the season four episode It’s a Dog’s Life, the makers of Ren & Stimpy once again managed to make things way too dark for Nickelodeon’s comfort. The episode begins with the title characters almost getting executed in a gas chamber, only to be saved by an insane, abusive old woman who ends up getting murdered by her butler. It’s really not all that hard to see why this one didn’t make it to the airwaves.
Beavis and Butt-Head – Heroes
The 22nd episode of Beavis and Butt-Head’s second series, Heroes sees the show’s title characters heading to a skeet-shooting range, where they inadvertently shoot down a Boeing 747. Anything to do with planes crashing became something of a touchy subject in the years following the episode’s release, and MTV pulled it from reruns, as well as declining to release it on DVD.
SpongeBob SquarePants – Kwarantined Krab
Originally scheduled to air in early 2020, the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Kwarantined Krab revolves around an outbreak of “Clam Flu,” which leads to the show’s characters being placed in quarantine. For obvious reasons, the episode was shelved due to the pandemic, with studio execs making the probably correct call that the last thing anybody wanted was a reminder of the situation.
Rocko’s Modern Life – Leap Frogs
A season one episode of beloved Nickelodeon series Rocko’s Modern Life, Leap Frogs was pulled from reruns due to its sexual themes. In the episode, Bev – feeling that Ed Bighead is no longer in love with her – invites Rocko over, going to increasingly ludicrous lengths in her attempts to seduce him.
Pingu – Little Accidents
When it come to TV shows that got on the wrong side of censors, Pingu probably isn’t the first that comes to mind. However, an episode from the show’s first season managed to do just that, and found itself banned from reruns. Little Accidents revolves around the titular penguin trying to use a toilet that’s too high for him, resulting in a mess, which was apparently considered inappropriate.
American Dad – Minstrel Krampus
Set to be American Dad’s season ten Christmas special, Minstrel Krampus ends with the Smith family involved in a violent shootout with Santa and his elves. Shortly before the episode was scheduled to air, news broke of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, and the episode was pulled out of sensitivity for the tragedy’s victims.
Star Trek – Miri
Another Star Trek episode slapped with a ban by the BBC, Miri was the eighth episode of the show’s first season. The storyline follows the crew of the Enterprise after they discover a planet which is an exact replica of Earth, with most of its inhabitants wiped out by a deadly man-made plague. The episode did initially air in Britain, but it was swiftly banned following a large number of complaints.
Cow & Chicken – No Smoking
Given that No Smoking is the pilot episode of Cow & Chicken, it’s kind of astonishing that the show got made in the first place. In the episode, Chicken is caught smoking by the Devil, who then drags him down to Hell. Unsurprisingly, the combination of cigarettes and Satan didn’t go over well with parents, and the episode was pulled from all reruns.
Mr. Osomatsu – Osomatsu-kun Returns!
The first episode of Mr. Osomatsu gets very meta, very fast, parodying a number of other anime shows and indulging in blatant copyright infringement. Unfortunately, this didn’t go unnoticed, and the episode was pulled from streaming services only a matter of months after the show premiered.
Mike & Molly – Windy City
Mike & Molly wasn’t a TV show known for flirting with controversy, but one of its episodes was still briefly banned, albeit for reasons entirely out of the writers’ control. The episode Windy City revolved around tornadoes, and just before it was scheduled to air a series of powerful real-life tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, claiming a number of lives.
Bubble Guppies – The Police Cop-Etition
Bubble Guppies isn’t the kind of show you’d expect to get embroiled in controversy, and certainly not one relating to police brutality. That, however, is exactly what happened in 2020, when the season three episode Police Cop-Etition – which features a police officer (voiced by Wendie Malick) explaining how the law keeps people safe – was pulled from streaming services in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Dexter’s Laboratory – Rude Removal
Intended to be part of Dexter’s Laboratory’s second season, Rude Removal would have involved Dexter and Dee getting split into two pairs, one polite and one rude. The rude pairs would have indulged in generally obscene behavior including rampant profanity, and – although all the actual swear words were bleeped out – Cartoon Network outright refused to air the episode.
Pokémon – Battle of the Quaking Island! Dojoach vs. Namazun
Originally set to air on November 4th, 2004, the Pokémon episode Battle of the Quaking Island! Dojoach vs. Namazun was postponed due to similarities between its plot and the Chūetsu October earthquake. While the episode was originally supposed to air at a later date, it has yet to be broadcast outside Japan.
Doctor Who – Lost episodes
During the 60s and 70s, the BBC routinely deleted archived programs to free up storage space. As a result of this, many episodes of classic TV shows were wiped, including 97 episodes of the iconic series Doctor Who. A number of these episodes have been recovered – mostly from overseas broadcasters who still held copies – but 26 remain entirely missing.
Family Guy – Turban Cowboy
A season 11 episode of Family Guy, Turban Cowboy features Peter befriending a muslim man who turns out to be a jihadist terrorist. While that was controversial in itself, the episode was actually banned over a cutaway gag that depicted Peter carrying out a terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon by plowing his car into spectators.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force – Shake Like Me
The second episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s sixth season, Shake Like Me sees Shake getting bitten by a radioactive black man, which causes him to also turn black. In November 2020, the episode was pulled by both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, due to it containing “the animated equivalent of blackface.”
Gargoyles – Deadly Force
Gargoyles was widely praised for maintaining a dark tone while still being suitable for kids, but the show’s eighth episode – titled Deadly Force – pushed the envelope a bit too far. In the episode, one of the gargoyles accidentally shoots their human friend, with the results shown in surprisingly graphic detail. While the episode was initially pulled in its entirety, a heavily edited version was shown in reruns.
The Fairly Odd Parents – It’s a Wishful Life
A season five episode of The Fairly Odd Parents, It’s a Wishful Life sees Jimmy – frustrated that no one is appreciating his good deeds – wishing that he was never born, so he can see how miserable everyone would be without him. Instead, it’s revealed that everyone in his life would have been better off in just about every imaginable way, a relentlessly bleak twist that led to the episode getting pulled.
