Top 10 BANNED Simpsons Episodes

WatchMojo

These scandalous Simpsons episodes drew the ire of countries the world over. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most controversial Simpson family adventures that were forbidden from airing.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most controversial

00:11Simpsons family adventures that were forbidden from airing.

00:23Number 10.

00:24Little Big Mom What could possibly go wrong on a little ski

00:28trip?

00:29The answer is… a lot.

00:31Marge breaks a leg, Flanders gets an iconic skiing scene, and Lisa is left in charge of

00:37the house.

00:38But it's only that last point that proved contentious.

00:48In order to motivate Bart and Homer to clean up after themselves, Lisa convinces them that

00:53they've contracted leprosy.

01:05Although it's all a ruse, the implication was still enough to get the whole story barred

01:10from Japan, where the bacterial infection is a very sensitive topic.

01:14It's a shame, Japanese viewers have no legal way to watch Flanders ski down the mountains

01:20in his skin-tight outfit.

01:23Number 9.

01:24E Pluribus Wiggum As you can imagine, light-hearted chat about

01:29historical dictators is bound to stir up some controversy.

01:34But you can't even blame the Simpsons family for this one.

01:38This is all Lenny and Carl.

01:41During an innocuous bar scene, they make a sly reference to the supposed leader of Argentina's

01:46Dirty War, where as many as 30,000 left-wing citizens mysteriously vanished.

01:52The tasteless reminder of such a tragedy did not sit well with Argentinian viewers, especially

02:05since The Simpsons minimizes the situation with a poorly-timed gag about Madonna.

02:11After fielding complaints from viewers, committees, and even the Argentinian government, Fox personally

02:18pulled the episode from several Hispanic countries.

02:24Number 8.

02:2530 Minutes Over Tokyo Within its first 35 years on the air, only

02:31two episodes of The Simpsons never played in Japan.

02:41The first is the aforementioned Little Big Mom.

02:44Three guesses what the second one is.

02:46During a family trip abroad, Homer is, well, Homer.

02:50Which means he isn't exactly respectful of Japanese culture.

02:54Or certain Pocket Monster-related controversies.

03:00All together, it was enough to give 30 Minutes Over Tokyo the quick ban-hammer in its namesake

03:06capital.

03:07What's more, the very inclusion of Japanese culture got it rejected from South Korea too.

03:12It's almost funny that when The Simpsons go out of the country, their show can't

03:18follow.

03:23Number 7.

03:24Weekend at Bernsie's Where there's smoke, there's fire.

03:28Or in this case, medical marijuana.

03:39While it's not too surprising to learn that The Simpsons has tackled substance use, it's

03:44not something you see on most primetime network shows.

03:48Still, the original US airing didn't kick up any dust.

04:05Or at least, no more than usual.

04:07Its debut in the United Kingdom, though?

04:09That's a different story.

04:11Due to the intense and heavy-handed use of controlled substances, the episode joined

04:15an elite group of Simpsons installments that are banned from airing before 9pm.

04:20Hey, at least people can still see it at all.

04:29Number 6.

04:31Goo Goo Guy Pan When Disney Plus launched in Hong Kong in

04:352021, The Simpsons came with it… well, mostly.

04:53Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that Goo Goo Guy Pan was casually skipped over in listings

04:58from the 16th season.

05:00It doesn't take Lisa's brains to figure out why.

05:03In the episodes, The Simpsons, Selma, and her newly adopted daughter pass through Tiananmen

05:08Square and even confront a tank.

05:16It's a blunt reference with Little Grey Area, and as you can imagine, it didn't sit well

05:21with certain audiences.

05:23Let's just say neither Hong Kong or China overall will be seeing Goo Goo Guy Pan on

05:27Disney Plus anytime soon.

05:39Number 5.

05:41Blame It On Lisa Another family road trip abroad, another place

05:45The Simpsons didn't air.

05:48This time, it's Rio de Janeiro.

05:59Or rather, a version of it.

06:01In the world of The Simpsons, it's a crime-ridden slum full of thick Spanish accents, oversized

06:07mustaches, and culturally appropriated dances.

06:11It's not exactly a glowing endorsement.

06:14In fact, Rio's tourism board was so upset, they considered legal action against the show.

06:28The episode got yanked off airwaves soon after its debut, and while it returned once the

06:33controversy cooled off, it's saying something that The Simpsons almost ended up in courts.

06:39Suffice it to say, the show has been much more careful with its depiction of Brazil

06:44ever since.

06:53Number 4.

06:55Stark Raving Dad Get ready, this one's a real thriller.

06:59For almost 20 years, Stark Raving Dad was just another mildly scandalous episode of

07:05The Simpsons.

07:10But if you didn't catch it then, you might be out of luck.

07:13The story doesn't sound so bad at first.

07:16Homer's sent to a mental institution and has to prove he's sane.

07:20The catch?

07:21His roommate is someone claiming to be Michael Jackson, voiced by the musician himself.

07:38In 2019, the documentary Leaving Neverland reignited conversation about the very serious

07:44allegations against the pop star.

07:46In the face of growing backlash, The Simpsons had no choice but to scrub Stark Raving Dad

07:52from all reruns and streaming sites.

08:02Number 3.

08:03Cape Fear One of the very best episodes of The Simpsons

08:07is also one of its darkest.

08:25But it's not the violence or peril that got it banished from Germany, though it probably

08:30didn't help.

08:31No, the real kicker comes when the announcer for a late night show appears wearing Nazi

08:36memorabilia.

08:37Germany has strict laws forbidding superfluous use of Nazi imagery.

08:41And that kept Cape Fear from native viewers for years.

08:55The episode did eventually make its way to German TVs, but only after undergoing clever

09:00editing to hide the offending attire.

09:02Now everyone can enjoy Cape Fear in all its hilarious, unhinged glory.

09:14Number 2.

09:15The Cartridge Family If there's anyone in the entirety of animation

09:20that doesn't deserve a firearm, it's Homer Simpson.

09:35So naturally, that's exactly what happens in The Cartridge Family.

09:39He even joins a gun club too, and it goes about as well as you'd expect.

09:44The flippant portrayal of firearm safety is the whole point.

10:02But that didn't make it an easier pill to swallow overseas.

10:06Definitely not in the United Kingdom.

10:08There, certain channels vetoed The Cartridge Family altogether, citing its over-the-top

10:12depiction of gun ownership.

10:14It took a few small revisions, but the episode has since been let out of the vault worldwide.

10:27And so, we probably shouldn't let Homer around any more guns.

10:46Number 1.

10:48The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson The Simpsons Explore Manhattan is a fantastic

10:54pitch for an episode.

11:07But sadly, this one is remembered for something that has nothing to do with its quality.

11:12In response to the horrific events of 9-11, Fox decided to remove The Simpsons Manhattan

11:17adventures from all syndication.

11:29It took five whole years for the New York-based episode to see the light of day again, and

11:33even then, sections had to be re-edited or omitted entirely.

11:38The original cut of the episode is still out there, but the family's callous jokes about

11:42New York strike a very different chord now than when they aired in 1997.

11:53Which of these banned Simpsons episodes do you most want to see?

11:56Let us know in the comments below!

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