Buzz
In the United States, network censors often step in to oversee certain storylines to prevent anything potentially disturbing or offensive from reaching the public.
Although content standards have become more lenient over time (to the point where you can now see a toilet on TV!), some episodes initially passed the censors only to be pulled shortly after they aired.
Several of these ten controversial episodes have been made available again through other networks or via DVD/Blu-Ray releases. If you're keen on watching them, they're not entirely lost. However, they never reappeared on their original channels.
10. Sesame Street—”Episode 847”
You might be surprised, but even a beloved show like Sesame Street has faced its share of bans. One particular episode from 1976 has never been aired again. It was pulled from syndication and reruns due to its frightening content for children.
Keep in mind that this is a show made for young children, so anything too terrifying isn't going to sit well with parents. In this episode, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz makes an appearance, which proved too much for some viewers.
The episode saw Margaret Hamilton reprising her iconic role from the classic film, a notable feat considering she nearly met her end during the film's production. In the Sesame Street episode, she is shown flying over the street and dropping her broom.
A law student working at Mr. Hooper’s store finds the broom, and the Witch rushes in, threatening to turn Big Bird into a feather duster. Although she eventually retrieves the broom, the episode’s eerie tone led to an outcry from parents. The negative feedback led to the episode being banned permanently.
9. Tiny Toon Adventures—”Elephant Issues”
Children's animated shows have long been a tool for imparting moral lessons, often focusing on important values children should embrace. From teaching honesty to highlighting the significance of teamwork, these cartoons ensure that kids are not only amused, but also educated.
Naturally, trying to teach the perils of drinking to a young audience, who are more interested in a glass of milk, was a miscalculation in one episode of Tiny Toon Adventures. The controversy stemmed from the 'One Beer' segment, which aired only once in September 1991.
The ban was triggered by a scene where Buster strongly pressured Plucky and Hamilton to drink a beer with him. Afterward, the trio drove off a cliff while under the influence of alcohol.
Although the episode might have been appropriate for an older audience, Fox Kids decided to ban it shortly after airing. It was later included in a DVD collection, but never re-aired during the series' original broadcast. Notably, it was one of only two banned episodes, with the other being 'Toons from the Crypt,' which never aired.
8. South Park—'200/201'
It’s no surprise that a show like South Park would eventually face the need to pull an episode or two, given its reputation for constantly testing boundaries. Despite this, the majority of controversial content has aired and been rebroadcast on Cartoon Network without significant issues. However, the two-part episodes, '200' and '201,' were a different story.
Interestingly, the main purpose of these episodes was to challenge the limits of censorship, which they did by featuring a wide array of religious figures. Unfortunately, this included the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, which is prohibited in Islamic teachings, as any representation of him is forbidden.
The episodes sparked a flurry of threats from various Islamic groups, including Revolution Muslim, a group known for promoting the cessation of Western imperialism. Many of these threats surfaced before the episodes even aired, but they did not sway the show's creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, from modifying their content in any way.
While the creators stood firm in their vision, the same cannot be said for the network. Cartoon Network made the decision to heavily edit the episodes and removed them from future broadcasts in order to protect its staff. '200' is available on DVD in its uncut form, but '201' was significantly altered.
7. The X-Files—'Home'
Generally speaking, The X-Files managed to handle controversial and offensive content with care. However, there is one episode that went too far… far beyond the limits, in fact, which led FOX to ban it. The episode 'Home' originally aired on October 11, 1996, but was never broadcast again on the channel.
In 'Home,' the show broke from its usual supernatural formula by focusing on human antagonists. The horror depicted wasn’t the result of any supernatural forces but came from the horrifying actions of a family of inbred and disfigured individuals. The story begins when the FBI investigates after a deformed baby is discovered buried in a sandlot.
The Peacock brothers end up killing the Sheriff and his wife, but the true shock lies in what Mulder and Scully uncover next. They find the 'matriarch' of the family hidden under a bed, her limbs severed. The brothers had been sexually abusing her for years.
The graphic and disturbing nature of the episode earned it the first-ever TV-MA rating. FOX decided to pull the episode after its initial airing, but it didn’t remain hidden for long. While FOX was done with it, FX aired the episode during an X-Files marathon the following year, and it quickly became one of the series’ most-watched episodes—largely due to the intrigue surrounding its ban.
6. Seinfeld—'The Puerto Rican Day'
Seinfeld may have been marketed as 'a show about nothing,' but that didn’t stop it from offending certain groups from time to time. One of the most notorious episodes was one of the final ones to air. 'The Puerto Rican Day' showed the gang stuck in the city after a game, unable to get home.
The Puerto Rican Day Parade blocks off all traffic, leaving the group stranded, and a series of comedic mishaps follows. The portrayal of Puerto Ricans was deemed offensive by many, but the real outrage came towards the end when Kramer accidentally sets the Puerto Rican flag on fire.
This scene sparked a major backlash, with NBC receiving a flood of complaints from viewers. Angry fans even staged protests outside the 30 Rock building, prompting NBC to pull the episode from further syndication. It was effectively buried for years before eventually being aired again on other networks broadcasting the series in syndication.
When it reappeared, the flag-burning scene had been edited out, but it was eventually restored. By 2002, syndicated airings of the episode included the original cut, complete with the controversial burning flag.
5. Hawaii Five-O – 'Bored, She Hung Herself'
In the Hawaii Five-O episode titled "Bored, She Hung Herself," a character named Don Miles engages in a practice now known as autoerotic asphyxiation. This act involves deriving sexual pleasure by limiting one's oxygen supply, typically through strangulation.
The episode, first broadcast in 1970, reveals that the woman in question was murdered by a neighbor. However, one viewer, inspired by what they saw on TV, attempted to mimic the act. Although unverified, it’s speculated that the episode was removed from airing after a fan died trying to recreate it.
Snopes investigated this claim but found no supporting evidence. Regardless, the episode was indeed banned and is not available in any official form.
The episode was never broadcast again and is absent from the DVD release of Hawaii Five-O season two. It is considered ‘lost’ by many fans, thanks to CBS’s decision not to rebroadcast it or offer it for syndication. The only remaining images are from bootleg recordings made over 50 years ago.
4. The Star Wars Holiday Special
Although it wasn't an episode, the Star Wars Holiday Special aired on television in 1978 before being pulled off the air permanently. Anyone who witnessed this incredibly misguided attempt to bring Star Wars to TV would probably agree that it should remain buried. It was absolutely dreadful, but if you haven’t seen it, you can’t truly understand just how awful it was.
The Special was so cringe-worthy that Carrie Fisher used to play it at the end of her parties to encourage guests to leave. George Lucas, who had minimal involvement in the Special, famously said, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it.”
The plot revolved around Han Solo and Chewbacca traveling to Kashyyyk (the Wookiee homeworld) for Life Day, which The Hollywood Reporter described as “a kind of space-age merging of Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Everything about the Holiday Special is painful to watch, and thanks to George Lucas, it has never been rebroadcast or made available for home video release. Unfortunately, bootleg copies of the original broadcast still circulate…
3. Beavis And Butt-Head – “Comedians”
One thing every animator fears is the possibility of life mimicking their work. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what transpired shortly after the episode “Comedians” was broadcast on MTV. Beavis and Butt-Head was known for its wild, unrestrained humor, but no one expected the events that followed the airing of this particular episode.
In “Comedians,” Beavis and Butt-Head try to break into the world of stand-up comedy, but fail spectacularly. After their disastrous attempt, they decide to take revenge by setting fire to the comedy club. They watch the blaze from across the street. While relatively tame for a Beavis and Butt-Head episode, this act triggered real-life consequences.
As reported by the New York Times, Austin Messner, a five-year-old boy, saw the episode, which included the infamous line “fire is fun.” Later, his mother discovered him playing with matches, and that evening, he set their house on fire.
Tragically, the fire claimed the life of his younger sister. In the aftermath, the episode was permanently removed from syndication and has only aired in full once. While there has been some speculation about whether the episode truly influenced the fire, MTV has consistently kept it off the air.
2. TaleSpin—”Flying Dupes”
TaleSpin, an adored animated series that aired as part of The Disney Afternoon lineup, had its final episode, "Flying Dupes," banned. In this episode, Baloo is given a task to deliver a package to Thembrian High Marshall. While the plot itself isn't inherently controversial, it takes a turn when it's revealed that the package contains a bomb, which Baloo unknowingly carries.
The bomb was placed in the package by arms manufacturers who wanted to incite war between Thembria and Cape Suzette. The theme of terrorism was deemed inappropriate for a children’s animated series, leading Disney to decide to remove the episode from all future broadcasts and reruns, including syndication.
In a strange twist, "Flying Dupes" did air again in 1999, almost a decade after its original broadcast. It appeared on Toon Disney, likely due to an oversight by the person responsible for scheduling the shows. Since then, the episode has not been aired on any Disney platform again.
Although the episode isn’t available on platforms like iTunes or Disney+, it can still be found through other means. It was included on the 2013 DVD release of the series, so physical copies containing the episode do exist.
1. Ren & Stimpy—"Man’s Best Friend"
The episode "Man’s Best Friend" stands out as it was partially banned before it even aired in 1992. Originally set to air on August 22, 1992, Nickelodeon decided to pull the episode completely. It wasn’t until 11 years later that it finally made it to television, though not on Nickelodeon.
The controversy surrounding the episode stemmed from an intensely violent scene with Ren. He savagely beats George with an oar, a moment deemed excessively violent. In addition, the episode featured multiple references to tobacco use, which led Nickelodeon to distance itself from the segment and its creators.
Due to the episode's content, series creator John Kricfalusi and his production company, Spümcø, were both dismissed by Nickelodeon. They were cut off from working on the show, and Nickelodeon continued The Ren and Stimpy Show with Kricfalusi's former partner.
The network eventually aired the episode, but replaced the offensive material with the original theatrical pilot. It was later included in a DVD box set as a special feature and eventually aired again years later as part of Ren & Stimpy's "Adult Party Cartoon" with a TV-MA rating.
