8 TV Episodes Too Dark or Controversial to Air

Some TV shows went so far with some episodes that they either delayed their release, had to cut some scenes, or didn’t air at all, and the reasons for all this vary. There have been some TV shows, like South Park, whose trademark is being controversial, which has been both the reason for their success and for lots of backlash.

Many others weren’t inherently controversial, but decisions were made at some point that led to episodes that faced some challenges. The darkness of an episode will depend on the show itself, as the style of some is already dark or serious, while others are more lighthearted, and even the target audience comes into play.

That said, certain episodes have been too dark to air, though some of them eventually saw the light (though most of the time not as planned), and others were delayed. Some of them had to be edited to finally air, while others have never been released.

8

“If You Can’t Be With The One You Love” – Boy Meets World

Boy Meets World Season 5, Episode 18

Boy Meets World followed best friends Cory (Ben Savage) and Shawn (Rider Strong) from childhood to adulthood, including the darkest parts of growing up. In season 5’s episode “If You Can’t Be With The One You Love”, Cory, depressed after his break-up with Topanga, started partying and drinking to shake off his new reputation as a “downer.”

Cory convinced Shawn to join him, but while it was just “partying” for Cory, it developed into a problem for Shawn. Shawn’s family had a history of alcohol-use disorder, and though his brother reminded him of this, Shawn continued to drink. It wasn’t until Shawn shoved Angela into a door that he realized what he had been doing.

Shawn apologized to everyone and accepted help from his brother. This episode didn’t air on Disney Channel, but it can be found on Disney+ along with Boy Meets World’s other banned episodes that didn’t air.

7

“Episode 847” – Sesame Street

Sesame Street Season 7, Episode 52

Also known as the “Wicked Witch episode”, it went too far for a Sesame Street episode. In it, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz lost her broomstick over Sesame Street, and David refused to return it until the witch showed some respect.

Infuriated, the witch began to cause chaos in Sesame Street, even threatening David and Big Bird to turn them into a basketball and a feather duster. The witch eventually got her broom back after asking nicely, but it fell back again into Sesame Street, much to the horror of a traumatized David, who started crying.

The episode aired once, but Children’s Television Workshop received many letters from angry parents, who claimed the episode had frightened their children. To avoid further controversy, the episode didn’t air again, but it was leaked and posted on Reddit and later YouTube in 2022 (via NBC News).

As a result of the leak, the episode was taken down from Reddit and YouTube and is no longer available for private viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (via AAPB).

6

“The High Ground” – Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 13, Episode 12

Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “The High Ground” saw Dr. Crusher being abducted by a man after a bomb went off in a public plaza. Her abductors turned out to be terrorists, and while this is a topic dark enough to draw controversy, it was one line about Irish unification that led to its ban.

“The High Ground” was released in 1990, during the conflict of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, so it wasn’t broadcast in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (BBC News). In the UK, an edited version of “The High Ground” aired in 1992, and it aired unedited in 2006.

5

“Earshot” – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 3, Episode 18

Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn’t safe from dark and controversial episodes, but “Earshot” stood out. In it, Buffy battled a demon, but some of its blood was absorbed through her skin, granting her the ability to read minds. Thanks to this, she learned of someone planning to kill the students of Sunnydale, and so the Scooby gang set out to find the potential killer.

“Earshot” was postponed from its original release date as, one week earlier, the Columbine High School massacre had happened. “Earshot” aired until September 1999, two weeks before season 4’s premiere, and season 3’s finale, “Graduation Day, Part 2”, was also delayed due to concerns of school violence in the episode.

Although “Earshot” didn’t show a school shooting or mass murder, it did have a scene with a student loading a rifle at school, but because he planned to kill himself, not his fellow students.

4

“Home” – The X-Files

The X-Files Season 4, Episode 2

The X-Files covered serious and dark topics quite often, so it’s not surprising that it has one episode that didn’t air for a while. “Home” begins with the discovery of the corpse of a deformed baby, with Mulder and Scully’s investigation leading them to a horrifying discovery. The baby was the result of inbreeding and was buried alive, and the Peacock brothers were the killers.

The Peacocks kept their triple-amputee mother hidden and continued to have inbred children. “Home” stood out for its graphic content and disturbing story, and though it’s regarded as one of the best X-Files episodes, it’s also one of its most controversial and darkest ones.

“Home” originally aired in 1996, but due to how disturbing it is, it was banned from reruns and only aired again until Halloween 1999. “Home” is widely considered one of the most disturbing episodes of The X-Files and in TV history, in general.

3

“Man’s Best Friend” – The Ren & Stimpy Show

The Ren & Stimpy Show Season 2, Episode 2

The Ren & Stimpy Show was always controversial, but it went too far with “Man’s Best Friend.” In it, Ren and Stimpy were taken home by George Liquor, who was supposedly going to train them to be his pets. His training methods were abusive, to the point where Ren, tired of being mistreated and humiliated, took the chance to attack George and maniacally beat him up.

The beating scene was the most controversial element of the episode, but there’s also the obvious animal abuse and the many adult and disgusting jokes throughout the episode. “Man’s Best Friend” was supposed to air in 1992, but Nickelodeon decided not to do it due to the above-mentioned violent scene and the dog treats resembling feces and cigars.

This resulted in the show’s creator, John Kricfalusi, being fired (via Wizard Magazine), and the episode was replaced by a censored version of “Big House Blues”. “Man’s Best Friend” finally aired on Spike TV in 2003.

2

“Oeuf” – Hannibal

Hannibal Season 1, Episode 4

Hannibal had a very dark episode in its first season that was pulled from US broadcast hours before its debut. “Oeuf” followed Will Graham as he investigated the murders of two families who had one of their sons on the missing persons list for about a year.

Graham discovered that the families were killed by their missing sons, as they were under the influence of a powerful mother figure. Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller decided not to air the episode at the last minute, not because of graphic imagery or violence, but because of “the associations that came with the subject matter” (via Variety).

Fuller said that it was his “own sensitivity,” and they wanted to be respectful of the social climate they were in at the moment. In that same talk with Variety, Fuller cited the Sandy Hook shooting as one of the reasons for that sensitivity. The episode was later released digitally and on some streaming platforms.

1

“Unstoppable” – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18

One episode from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 18 has never been released, and there are many reasons for that. Titled “Unstoppable”, it was inspired by the sexual misconduct allegations against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. “Unstoppable” would have followed a wealthy man running for the White House whose campaign was challenged by a woman accusing him of sexual assault.

The episode was supposed to air in October 2016, but it was pulled from the schedule and given a new date (via Variety). However, “Unstoppable” was later shelved, and at the time of writing, there isn’t a possible release date or a way in which this episode could finally see the light.

Sources: NBC News, BBC News, Wizard Magazine, Variety.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Release Date

September 20, 1999

Showrunner

Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano

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  Mariska Hargitay

  Olivia Benson

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  Ice-T

  Odafin ‘Fin’ Tutuola