13 Episodes That Were Banned From TV

It was an episode that was said to have "crossed the line between humor and bigotry." Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer get stuck in traffic due to the Puerto Rican Day Parade when Kramer tosses out a sparkler and accidentally lights a Puerto Rican flag on fire. When he tries to put it out by stomping on it, the parade-goers misconstrue it and give chase, eventually shaking Jerry's car and tossing it down a stairwell. It all leads Kramer to quip, "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico." NBC apologized, and the episode was pulled from its rotation until the release of the Seinfeld Season 9 DVD in 2007.

On "The High Ground," while attempting to deliver medical supplies on Rutia IV, Dr. Crusher is abducted after trying to help the victims of a bombing in a public plaza. It all leads to a discussion about terrorism where Data mentions that Ireland is unified in 2024 after a successful terrorist campaign.

Although the reference is fictional, the episode, which originally aired in the U.S. on January 29, 1990, was banned from airing in the United Kingdom due to this line for years to come. When it was finally allowed to air, the reference was edited out. Eventually Sky One showed the unedited version of Star Trek: TNG Season 3 Episode 12 in May of 2006.

In 1972, Maude was 47-years-old, married and unintentionally pregnant. The original airing of "Maude's Dilemma" took place two months before Roe vs Wade would change the laws of the country, but abortion was newly legal in New York state where the fictional Maude resided.

Two CBS network affiliates in Illinois would not air the two-parter. It was the first time any CBS station had refused to air a continuing series. Months later, in the midst of picketing and protests, the reruns had 65 million viewers tuning in to see Maude and her husband choose to abort the pregnancy.

South Park Season 14 Episode 6, titled “201” picks up where the previous “200” left off, with a group of angry celebrities demanding South Park produce the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The story alludes to past storylines from previous South Park episodes where Comedy Central refused to show images of Muhammad following controversies when cartoons depicting Muhammad ran in European newspapers and resulted in riots.

The network decided to obscure all images and bleep all references to Muhammad after the episodes' creators where threatened with murder by a Muslim extremist. The end result was a show that effectively obscured the moral conclusion of the story.

Critics worried that Comedy Central’s censorship would prove to be a significant public victory for Muslim extremists and encourage further threats from radical groups. The episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 2010.

Lois decides to become a surrogate and carry another couple's child in "Patrial Terms of Endearment." In a tragic accident, the couple is killed, leaving Lois and Peter to decide whether to abort the pregnancy or have the child and put it up for adoption. The story includes Peter's off-color jokes as he tries to get Lois to abort, as well as a strange Holocaust reference thrown into the mix with Peter dressed as a Nazi.

In the end, despite Peter changing his mind, Lois ends the pregnancy. FOX pulled the episode and chose not to include it in the season 8 DVD set, however, it later released the installment as a special, separate DVD.