- 1/18/2024
Get ready to clutch your pearls! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks of the scripted and non-scripted series that caused scandals, sparked debates, and ruffled feathers this century.
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00:00 You just had to push it, didn't you, Stan?
00:02 You just had to make fun of Tom Cruise again!
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:07 of the scripted and non-scripted series that caused scandals,
00:10 sparked debates, and ruffled feathers this century.
00:12 To make it on the list, the show must have had an episode
00:14 which originally aired in the 21st century.
00:17 No one is very happy.
00:20 Which means it's a good compromise, I suppose.
00:22 Don't worry about her, Mr. Shiavo.
00:27 She's being kept alive by medical science.
00:30 Gee, look at all this stuff.
00:31 How does it all work?
00:33 Well, I'll tell you.
00:34 There aren't many topics that the Family Guy writers
00:36 haven't taken aim at, and they've upset plenty of people along the way.
00:39 For example, the episode "Peter Estman" features a musical number
00:42 about Terri Shiavo's end-of-life battle, which infuriated her family.
00:45 The show has also been criticized for insensitivity
00:48 towards transgender people and victims of domestic violence.
00:51 But the reaction to the episode "Turban Cowboy" was particularly bad.
00:54 In this episode, Peter inadvertently falls in
00:56 with an extremist group.
00:58 Hey, guys, what football team should I like?
01:00 Mahmood says we all need to act like we're fans of American football,
01:03 so we seem less...perspicuous.
01:06 There's a cutaway we can't show here that features him driving a car
01:09 into runners during the Boston Marathon.
01:11 The situation got worse when a real attack happened
01:13 a month after the episode aired.
01:15 Family Guy's willingness to push the envelope has kept it in hot water.
01:18 Journalist, you're badgering a celebrity and passing it off as news.
01:22 Yeah, journalist.
01:23 Number nine, "The Idol."
01:24 Are we romanticizing mental illness?
01:27 Absolutely.
01:28 Then you're fine with that. That's cool.
01:29 You people are so out of touch.
01:31 This HBO show was apparently in shambles behind the scenes,
01:34 resulting in a critically panned final product
01:36 that was canceled after one season.
01:38 Reports came out alleging various toxic incidents on set.
01:41 The departure of director Amy Simons
01:43 seemingly changed the show's focus and led to reshoots.
01:45 This is everywhere?
01:47 Yeah.
01:49 We've subpoenaed Reddit.
01:50 They're tracking down the IP address that posted it, so we're on it.
01:53 In the show, Lily-Rose Depp's Jocelyn
01:55 attempts to rebuild her music career
01:57 while falling under the thrall of cult leader Tedros,
02:00 played by Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd.
02:02 The hypersexualization and seedy scenes,
02:04 some of which contained assault, caused outrage.
02:07 The events of the final episode,
02:08 when Jocelyn declares her love for the abusive Tedros,
02:10 didn't help the show's case.
02:12 None of this means as much without you.
02:14 [Gasps]
02:16 I don't like being apart.
02:20 Number eight, "13 Reasons Why."
02:22 "13 Reasons Why" is creating buzz on social media.
02:26 Some say it could be a helpful conversation starter
02:29 on a tough topic,
02:30 but others argue it could do more harm than good.
02:33 Tackling tough subject matter
02:34 for a largely teenage audience can be difficult.
02:36 Some succeed, but some don't.
02:38 The Netflix show "13 Reasons Why"
02:40 had several controversial moments.
02:42 According to a study led by the Nationwide Children's Hospital,
02:44 there was an increase in teens and preteens
02:46 taking their own lives around the release of the first season.
02:49 This was possibly inspired by the graphic nature of the scene
02:52 where the main character ends her life,
02:53 which we'll refrain from lingering on here.
02:55 The show prompted a national discussion
02:57 about what's appropriate to depict for a younger audience.
02:59 Netflix actually removed a part of the first season finale
03:02 before releasing the third season
03:03 in response to the criticism.
03:05 I think with any content of this graphic nature,
03:10 we have to be cautious.
03:11 You know, viewer discretion is advised.
03:14 Number seven, "The Boondocks."
03:15 King Mania was at a fever pitch
03:17 when on August 1st, 2001,
03:20 Martin Luther King presented Video of the Year with Puffy
03:23 at the MTV Video Music Awards.
03:25 From its origins as a comic strip
03:26 to its run as an animated series,
03:28 "The Boondocks" always pushed boundaries,
03:30 but it went too far for some audiences.
03:32 In the season one episode "Return of the King,"
03:33 an alternate history is described
03:35 where Martin Luther King Jr.
03:36 survives his assassination attempt
03:38 and wakes up from a coma in 2000.
03:40 While the episode won a Peabody Award,
03:41 some viewers were shocked to see the civil rights leader
03:44 use racial slurs multiple times
03:45 towards a room filled with people.
03:47 (gasping)
03:49 - He just said what I think he said.
03:54 - Is this it?
03:55 - When the show was added to HBO Max,
03:57 the episode "The Story of Jimmy Rebel"
03:59 was left off the streaming service.
04:00 This was allegedly due to its depiction
04:02 of a racist country singer character
04:03 based on Johnny Rebel.
04:05 - I was gonna say, man.
04:06 (laughing)
04:08 - That would be crazy.
04:08 - That'd be weird.
04:09 - Yeah, well, no.
04:10 - Number six, "Toddlers and Tiaras."
04:12 - How many pages have you did, Heaven?
04:14 - Probably about 30.
04:17 I'm Brooke and my daughter Heaven is an angel on stage.
04:20 Heaven started pages at three.
04:23 - Considering "Toddlers and Tiaras"
04:25 is a reality show about child beauty pageants,
04:27 you can probably guess it's gonna have plenty of problems.
04:30 Somehow, it still lasted seven seasons.
04:32 One of the more disturbing moments
04:33 involved one youngster being dressed in a padded costume
04:36 to resemble Dolly Parton.
04:37 The incident was even referenced
04:39 in a custody battle between the child's parents.
04:41 Another episode saw a child dressed
04:43 as the main character of "Pretty Woman,"
04:44 Alana Thompson, who went on to get her own show
04:46 in "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,"
04:48 first appeared on "Toddlers and Tiaras."
04:50 The spinoff was criticized for exploitation
04:52 and leaning into stereotypes.
04:54 - Hey, all you good-looking nicks out there,
04:57 we fix all the first-place things.
05:00 - Number five, "Saturday Night Live."
05:02 - Why is this happening to me?
05:04 All this fuss over one stinking show
05:06 I never meant to hurt nobody.
05:08 - With a sketch comedy show that's been going since 1975,
05:12 there are bound to be a few scandal skeletons in the closet.
05:15 One of the most infamous controversies
05:17 from "Saturday Night Live" happened in 1992.
05:19 The late Sinead O'Connor tore up a photo
05:21 of Pope John Paul II in order to protest
05:23 against the Catholic Church's alleged abuse.
05:25 But the series has found itself in hot water many times.
05:28 In 2022, SNL parodied the Try Guys video
05:31 on the Ned Fulmer scandal.
05:32 - We've conducted an internal review
05:34 with a team of HR professionals
05:36 and are no longer working with white guy,
05:38 wife guy, Try Guy Ned.
05:39 (audience laughing)
05:41 I don't know what else to say.
05:42 He has to pay!
05:43 - It drew criticism for making light of the situation,
05:46 which involved inappropriate workplace conduct.
05:48 Then in 2023, Woody Harrelson's monologue included jokes
05:51 which alluded to anti-vaccine conspiracies.
05:54 - And people can only come out
05:55 if they take the cartel's drugs
05:58 and keep taking them over and over.
06:01 I threw the script away.
06:03 I mean, who is gonna believe that crazy idea?
06:07 - Number four, "Jackass."
06:08 - Howdy, partner.
06:09 We're here at the Sunset Ranch again
06:11 in Hollywood, California,
06:12 and we're about to have an Old West paintball duel.
06:16 - If you grew up in the 2000s,
06:17 there's a good chance you tried to copy
06:18 the antics of "Jackass" by doing a dumb stunt.
06:21 Maybe you took some swings at your friend's midsection
06:23 or consumed something horrendous.
06:24 However, the slew of alleged imitations
06:26 caused some concern as people were rumored
06:28 to have been injured or killed while emulating them.
06:31 - Hi, I'm Steve-O, and this is the crapper sled.
06:33 - After three seasons, the show ended.
06:36 It was reported that the creators,
06:38 particularly Johnny Knoxville,
06:39 were unhappy with overbearing executives
06:41 dictating what they could portray on the show.
06:43 An intervention into a planned vomit and omelet stunt
06:46 could have been the final straw.
06:47 The "Jackass" crew moved on to creating films
06:49 where they had room for many more controversial stunts.
06:52 - Talk to it, Aaron.
06:54 Try to calm it down.
06:54 Oh, no, it's going for the salmon.
06:57 Oh, no.
06:58 - I'm there.
07:00 - Number three, "Game of Thrones."
07:01 This groundbreaking HBO show
07:03 covered a lot of controversial topics.
07:05 - I strangled my lover.
07:06 I shot my own father with a crossbow.
07:09 I betrayed my queen.
07:11 - You didn't.
07:11 - I did.
07:12 - After all, there was a ton of violence,
07:14 graphic scenes, family members
07:15 were way too friendly with each other,
07:17 and an Ed Sheeran cameo.
07:19 Even the lighting being too dark was seen as a big issue.
07:21 Some elements of the show were criticized
07:23 for attempting to draw viewers by being exploitative.
07:26 However, "Game of Thrones" really fanned
07:27 the flames of controversy
07:28 when it came to its rushed season eight.
07:30 - When you question my decisions
07:31 in front of the other lords and ladies, you undermine me.
07:34 - We can't question your decisions, Aaron.
07:36 - Of course you can.
07:37 - Fans were livid at Daenerys' rapid heel turn
07:39 when she attacked King's Landing.
07:40 Throw in the disappointing conclusion
07:42 to several character arcs and an underwhelming crowning
07:44 and fans were not pleased.
07:46 - I can't justify what happened.
07:48 I won't try.
07:52 - Number two, "Making a Murderer."
07:54 - I don't wanna be a criminal.
07:55 I wanna be normal.
07:58 - The media could not get enough of the debate
08:00 around this Netflix documentary series.
08:02 The show tells the story of Stephen Avery,
08:04 convicted in the 2005 murder of Theresa Hallbach,
08:06 and his nephew, Brendan Dassey,
08:08 who was convicted as an accessory to the crime.
08:10 The show follows the case in Avery's legal history,
08:12 making the argument that the police investigation
08:14 could have been corrupt and botched.
08:16 - Law enforcement despised Stephen Avery.
08:19 Stephen Avery was a shiny example
08:22 of their inadequacies, their misconduct.
08:26 - A petition to pardon Avery and Dassey took off,
08:28 eventually reaching over 500,000 signatures
08:31 and garnering an official response from the White House.
08:34 The portrayal of the investigation
08:35 also resulted in a lawsuit.
08:37 In 2018, a former detective in Manitowoc County,
08:39 Andrew Colborn, claimed that certain events of the series
08:42 amounted to defamation and sued Netflix.
08:45 - That at least made it possible that the DA
08:49 and the sheriff either knew or should have known
08:54 that Stephen Avery was not the assailant.
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09:12 Number one, "South Park."
09:15 - No, I said we were going to use "South Park"
09:18 to make sure we never got ripped on again.
09:20 - Famous for its satire, the animated series "South Park"
09:22 has ruffled many feathers over its hundreds of episodes.
09:25 The show has taken aim at many targets,
09:26 such as Tom Cruise and his affiliation with Scientology.
09:29 It had an episode where a parody of Steve Irwin
09:31 appeared with a stingray hanging off him at a costume party,
09:34 alluding to his real-life death.
09:36 - Hey, Satan, you got a little problem.
09:38 - What?
09:38 - Somebody showed up in a crocodile hunter costume.
09:41 It's really offending some of the other guests.
09:43 - That episode aired only seven weeks after the incident.
09:45 In 2010, the Indian Ministry of Broadcasting
09:48 banned the show for its vulgarity.
09:49 "South Park" also sparked backlash for several episodes
09:52 that featured the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
09:54 Despite the amount of flack it's received over time,
09:56 this hotly debated show seems to be able
09:58 to weather any and all controversies.
10:00 - I'm nothing.
10:02 I'm a failure in the eyes of the prophet.
10:04 (screams)
10:06 Hey!
10:07 Dude, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it.
10:08 - What TV controversies do you remember?
10:10 Let us know in the comments.
10:11 - The ratings plummeted
10:13 and led to the immediate cancellation of the show.
10:16 - That's all.
10:17 - Did you enjoy this video?
10:19 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
10:21 and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
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