TV shows get edited for all different kinds of reasons. A lot of times, this happens before an episode even hits the airwaves, but controversial subject matter has led to episodes being outright banned later on.
However, not all controversies are created equal, and sometimes unfortunate coincidences arise after a show airs that require minor adjustments. Let’s take a look at a few animated comedies that had to have things edited out due to unforeseen circumstances.
3. THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS– “MICROPHONY”
The 2003 Fairly OddParents episode “MicroPhony” features the song “Vicky Free Summer,” sung in the Beach Boys style. In the original version, a surfing scene accompanies the tune, with a giant wave crashing down onto a beach at one point. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the footage was significantly altered for airings in the UK and Ireland to avoid showing the wave’s size.
You can check out a side-by-side comparison above.
2. THE SIMPSONS– “TEAM HOMER”
Folks who tuned into The Simpsons for 1996’s “Team Homer” when it was first broadcast were treated to a slightly different gag than the people who caught it afterward. In the episode, Mr. Burns joins Homer’s bowling team and repeatedly causes them to lose. One night, Homer complains to Marge that he spent a lot of time building a trophy case for nothing, and the camera cuts to an Academy Award sitting in the case with actor Haing S. Ngor’s name crossed off (Homer stole it and wrote in his own name).
Ngor was murdered the following month, and because the joke appeared to imply that Homer was responsible for Ngor’s death, the name was replaced with Don Ameche’s in subsequent reruns.
1. ANIMANIACS– “HOW TO BRAIN YOUR DRAGON”
In a segment from the 2020 Animaniacs reboot entitled “How to Brain Your Dragon,” Pinky and the Brain plot to slay a dragon during medieval times. An in-universe TV ad was shown during that portion of the episode, which also featured a telephone number. Although the number was meant to be a dead end, fans quickly learned it was a phone sex hotline.
The show was briefly removed from Hulu and later reuploaded with the number completely erased.
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