- 6 weeks ago
From shocking moments to banned episodes, 90s television wasn't afraid to push boundaries! Join us as we count down the most controversial TV moments that sparked outrage and media firestorms. From animated seizures to network censorship battles, these shows had parents, politicians, and religious groups up in arms!
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00:00Raise the hand, lower the head.
00:01I'm sorry, I'm sorry. The buttons are really big in the car.
00:03I don't understand it. I haven't read the manual.
00:05You get my drink.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:10for TV moments that sparked real-life outrage or media firestorms.
00:14You're a rapper.
00:15Yes.
00:16An entrepreneur.
00:17Yes.
00:18And you like fish sticks.
00:20Yes.
00:20Number 20, Violence Concerns, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
00:24Yeah!
00:26Where's Tim?
00:27We're not going.
00:28Oh, yeah?
00:29Yeah!
00:30When Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first premiered in 1993,
00:33it skyrocketed to the top,
00:35becoming one of the highest-rated kids' shows in the United States in just three weeks.
00:40Despite its popularity, it didn't take long for controversy to follow.
00:43You shouldn't have said that. You're going to be in big trouble.
00:46Parents and psychologists raised concerns that the show was too violent for its intended young audience.
00:51The backlash was so intense that several stations in different countries yanked it off the air entirely.
00:56The show featured frequent martial arts fights, monster battles, and explosions, all stylized and over-the-top.
01:04Over the decades, the tone noticeably changed.
01:08Some weapons were even censored to tone down the chaos.
01:10I am aware of the situation, Alpha.
01:12I have been monitoring it from my private chamber.
01:15Number 19.
01:16Ren and Stimpy's gross-out humor.
01:18The Ren and Stimpy Show.
01:19I'm not listening to this anymore.
01:22This wasn't your average children's cartoon.
01:25Sure, some saw Ren and Stimpy as edgy and hilarious,
01:28but for others, especially parents, it was seriously disturbing.
01:31With violent slapstick, adult innuendos, and body horror that made you squirm,
01:36the show constantly tested what animation could get away with.
01:39It's the funnest game in the whole wide world.
01:46Don't whiz on the electric fence.
01:50Don't whiz on the electric fence.
01:53It wasn't just weird, it was graphic.
01:56One episode took things too far as it showed Ren beating up George Licker with an oar.
02:00Ouch!
02:01Ouch!
02:01It even featured cigar-shaped bones and feces as dog treats.
02:10Even for Ren and Stimpy standards, it was extreme.
02:13Nickelodeon didn't just pull the episode before it even aired.
02:16The creator was eventually fired.
02:19Turns out, pushing boundaries does have its limits.
02:21Come on, Stimpy, say goodbye.
02:23Where are we going?
02:25The show's over.
02:26See you next time.
02:27Number 18.
02:28Murphy Brown's Single Motherhood Debate.
02:30Murphy Brown.
02:31See, I have this reputation, which I'm very proud of.
02:35This hit sitcom from the late 80s starred Candace Bergen as a tough investigative journalist.
02:40It was known for tackling real-world issues, all with sharp humor.
02:43Mrs. Hooley, has anyone ever accused you of being a bigot?
02:47Who, me?
02:48No, the other Mrs. Hooley, yes, you are.
02:51But in 1992, Murphy Brown did more than stir up controversy.
02:55It ignited a full-on national debate.
02:57It all started when Murphy chose to have a baby without marrying the father.
03:01While we're on the subject of mothers, I better warn you up front.
03:06I'm not gonna be like other mothers.
03:09I don't cook or sew or make stuffed animals talk in funny voices.
03:14A bold move for primetime TV back then.
03:17The then-vice president, Dan Quayle, was not having it.
03:20He blasted the show for undermining American family values.
03:24It doesn't help matters when primetime TV has Murphy Brown,
03:28a character who supposedly epitomizes today's intelligent, highly paid professional woman,
03:34mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone.
03:38Some agreed with him.
03:39Others didn't, slamming him for attacking a fictional character.
03:43The show fired back by weaving Quayle's speech into a future episode,
03:46turning it into a powerful satire.
03:48And in searching for the causes of our social ills,
03:51we could choose to blame the media or the Congress
03:55or an administration that's been in power for 12 years,
03:59or we could blame me.
04:00Who knew a sitcom could ruffle so many political feathers?
04:04Number 17, Hillary Clinton's Twofer.
04:07Way back in the 90s, during the presidential campaign,
04:10Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with Jennifer Flowers.
04:13She's a legend and is described in some detail in a supermarket tabloid.
04:18It was a major scandal that threatened Clinton's campaign.
04:27To defend her husband, Hillary Clinton made an insensitive remark.
04:30Trying to distance herself from the image of a helpless wife,
04:33she took a jab at the country music singer Tammy Wynette,
04:36saying she wasn't the type to stand by her man.
04:39You know, I'm not sitting here as some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette.
04:43I'm sitting here because I love him, and I respect him,
04:47and I honor what he's been through and what we've been through together.
04:51The comment did not land well.
04:53Wynette was offended, and many Americans saw it as condescending.
04:57Then came her other comments about not staying home and baking cookies,
05:00which only added fuel to the fire.
05:02No wonder she became one of the most divisive women in America at the time.
05:07Number 16.
05:08Puck.
05:08The Real World.
05:09If I was going to guess who the other six people were I was going to live with,
05:12I would say that there are going to be a wide variety of people,
05:15none of which are going to be like me.
05:17MTV's The Real World was one of the first shows to follow real people living together,
05:21unscripted, with cameras rolling 24-7.
05:24During one of its seasons, Pedro Zamora joined the cast.
05:27Gay representation on 90s TV was incredibly rare at the time,
05:31and Zamora, an openly gay person with AIDS, shared his story with courage.
05:36But not everyone respected that.
05:38David Puck Rainey constantly clashed with Zamora and laughed at his relationship with his partner.
05:43Puck was so antagonistic that the housemates voted to evict him.
05:47Still, the conflict struck a nerve,
05:48sparking debates about insensitivity towards gay people and HIV awareness.
05:53This conflict ultimately helped The Real World become more than just a reality show.
05:57It became a cultural flashpoint.
05:59Number 15.
06:00One Beer.
06:01Tiny Toon Adventures.
06:03A cold one.
06:06You mean...
06:09That's beer.
06:1390s kids probably still remember this clever cartoon that managed to entertain both adults and kids.
06:19But like most shows that tried to mix humor with serious messages,
06:22Tiny Toon Adventures briefly crossed the line.
06:25The notorious episode Elephant Issues featured one segment about the dangers of drinking.
06:29But Buster, this isn't like you.
06:32I know.
06:33But in this episode, we're showing the evils of alcohol.
06:35To show just how bad drinking was, the segment had Buster, Plucky, and Hampton drink alcohol, act drunk, and eventually die in a car crash.
06:46It was supposed to be a cautionary tale, but it came off too heavy for its young audience.
06:56It shocked parents and networks.
06:58As a result, it was removed from reruns.
07:01Moral lesson?
07:03You don't have to go over the top to pass a message.
07:05Subtlety is key.
07:06I hope the kids got the message.
07:09Yeah, drinking's uncool.
07:11So do we get to do a funny episode tomorrow?
07:13I hope so.
07:14Number 14.
07:16Buffalo Gals.
07:17Cow and Chicken.
07:17When it comes to loud, weird, and downright chaotic cartoons, Cow and Chicken takes the cake.
07:30It follows the misadventures of the bizarre sibling duo, and was packed with edgy jokes that often flew over kids' heads.
07:36Is everything okay?
07:38No! Everything is not okay!
07:41Look at these teeth!
07:43They are an abomination!
07:44One episode definitely went too far.
07:47In Buffalo Gals, a group of biker women barges into the household of Cow and Chicken, chewing their carpets.
07:53Yeah, you know what that means.
07:55We're the Buffalo Gals!
07:58Oh, the Buffalo Gals!
08:00A motorcycle-riding gang that randomly bursts into people's homes and chews on their carpets!
08:05Buffalo Gals?
08:06On the surface, it might seem silly, but the dialogue was laced with not-so-subtle sexual innuendos at the expense of lesbians.
08:13After receiving backlash from parents who understood the subtext, Cartoon Network pulled the episode from reruns.
08:20Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight? Come out tonight? Come out tonight!
08:24Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight? And dance by the light of the moon!
08:29Honestly, it had no business being on a kid's show, but was Cow and Chicken really for kids?
08:34Number 13. NYPD Blue's Pilot.
08:37NYPD Blue.
08:38Come on, baby.
08:40Come to mama.
08:41Though this police procedural was praised for its gritty realism, it was also one of the most controversial shows of the 90s, especially when it first premiered.
08:49With steamy sex, nudity, and heavy swearing, NYPD Blue pushed network TV to its limits.
08:55I'm sorry, Andy. I'm sorry.
08:58I hope you got paid a lot of money.
08:59It was so bad that at least 30 affiliates refused to air the premiere.
09:04Parents and religious groups were outraged even before it debuted.
09:07One conservative writer launched a council just to call out its vulgarity.
09:11My dad's not returning my phone calls now.
09:13It's just broken.
09:14Yeah, he's sulking, so now I gotta deal with that too.
09:16Episodes like Nude Awakening were so explicit, ABC got fined, which was eventually overturned.
09:22To top it off, the behind-the-scenes drama only added to the show's controversy.
09:26Still, it wouldn't be out of place to say NYPD Blue walked so that other mature shows could run.
09:31I'm sure he gave you proper thanks, but you're getting more from me.
09:35Thanks, Andy.
09:36Number 12. South Park Pushes Limits.
09:39South Park.
09:39This was an attack on us.
09:41This is exactly why we sat out the National Anthem in the first place.
09:44Since it premiered in 1997, this animated show has become famous and infamous for its no-holds-barred approach to comedy.
09:52It follows four foul-mouthed boys who live in a small Colorado town where literally anything can happen.
09:57The world wants us all to feel shame just because we were all born with wieners.
10:00Butters, you need to calm down.
10:02One episode can be about aliens, poops, celebrity scandals, and even religious figures.
10:08No religion has been spared, and it appears nothing is off-limits.
10:13Mr. Cruz? Mr. Cruz, come out of the closet.
10:17No.
10:18Come on, Mr. Cruz, this is ridiculous.
10:20I'm never coming out.
10:21With strong use of profanity, pitch-black humor, and provocative themes,
10:25South Park has sparked outrage more times than we can count.
10:28Boycott campaigns?
10:30There have been plenty.
10:31The real question is who hasn't the show offended?
10:34He's right.
10:35For so long, I've considered myself God's gift to the world that I couldn't take it when people made fun of me.
10:40Through all the chaos, South Park is still here, unafraid to say what most shows wouldn't say.
10:46Number 11.
10:47Electric Soldier Porygon.
10:49Pokemon.
10:49I wanna be the very best.
10:53Like no one ever was.
10:55While South Park has offended many with its outrageous humor, Pokemon once made headlines for something far more serious.
11:01One of the show's episodes actually sent over 600 young viewers to the hospital.
11:05Not many may remember the scene.
11:07During a battle sequence, there was an explosion depicted as a rapid flashing sequence of red and blue lights, about 12 hertz, which was incredibly fast.
11:16Guess it's not my lucky day.
11:18Some viewers suffered blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, and loss of consciousness.
11:23The incident was later dubbed the Pokemon Shock, and the episode was pulled from the air.
11:27Take it easy, Pikachu.
11:29All this power may be shocking at first, but sooner or later, your body will get used to the high voltage.
11:34The show went on a brief hiatus after this, and Japan introduced stricter guidelines for animated content.
11:39Yep, it was more than a controversy.
11:41It was a health crisis.
11:43Pikachu, let's try to lose her.
11:44Wait up, Ash!
11:45Number 10, Heroes, Beavis and Butthead.
11:48Whoa, guns are cool.
11:51This MTV animated series from creator Mike Judge was known for courting controversy almost from the beginning.
11:56But this second season episode proved particularly troublesome for Judge and his crew.
12:01In Heroes, our dim-witted metalhead protagonists waltz into a gun store, easily pick up a couple of rifles, and decide to go skeet shooting.
12:08Pull.
12:19Unfortunately, their target practice ends with the duo accidentally shooting down an airplane that crash-lands in a field not far off.
12:26And we'll be getting up to about 50,000 feet.
12:30If you look off to your left right now, you'll see a shimmering sea of trailer homes.
12:34Like the fact...
12:35Go, go, go.
12:35This little stunt naturally resulted in Beavis and Butthead receiving complaints not only from anti-gun activists, but also from concerned parents, and got the episode banned.
12:46You bagged a jumbo jet.
12:49Do I get to keep it?
12:50Number 9, The WWF During the Attitude Era.
12:54Through some 50 years, the World Wrestling Federation has been an entertainment mainstay here in North America and all over the world.
13:00One of the reasons for that longevity is as the times have changed, so have we.
13:05Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, underwent a sharp creative makeover back in the late 90s.
13:12Shocking those who grew up in the more innocent times of cartoonish 80s wrestling.
13:17WWF during the Attitude Era, as it eventually grew to be known, was a playground of realistically bloody violence, adult imagery, and bizarre storylines.
13:25All of which fans ate up like candy.
13:27Parents weren't as amused and often complained to McMahon about the program's drastic shift to maturely themed content.
13:38Time and a lack of serious competition would eventually soften the WWE's creative stance, however, with today's programming coming across as decidedly more PG than extreme.
13:48Another fear! And again, Roman Reigns!
13:52Number 8, The Puppy Episode, Ellen.
13:55I'm sensing a little tension.
13:56That's right, tense, tension, I have tension. Yes, you can read vibes.
14:00Where do we start with this one?
14:01Perhaps with the humorously misleading title of The Puppy Episode?
14:05Or maybe we can discuss how bold it was for comedian Ellen DeGeneres to use her ABC sitcom as a vehicle for her and her character's coming out party.
14:12It wasn't quite as easy back in 1997 for a situation comedy to have a lesbian-leading character, but that is exactly the trail DeGeneres was blazing with this episode.
14:22You thought I was gay?
14:24Why would you think I was gay?
14:29Oh, wow, I'm sorry. I just kind of got that vibe.
14:34ABC faced criticism and backlash from both religious groups and advertisers concerning the episode,
14:39but the two-part puppy nevertheless aired unedited, and in the process, gained DeGeneres a whole new audience of appreciative fans.
14:47Susan, I'm gay.
14:52Of course, she would become controversial for different reasons years later.
14:57All right, then. Goodbye.
14:58Bye.
15:00Nope, not awkward at all.
15:02Number 7, Home, The X-Files.
15:04Incest is never an easy subject to broach, even on the most serious of dramas.
15:10Never mind a science fiction juggernaut like Chris Carter's The X-Files.
15:13Raise and breed their own stock, if you get my beanie.
15:18The controversial fan-favorite episode, Home, shocked viewers back in 96 with its portrayal of the Peacock family
15:24and what they buried in the backyard of their property.
15:26This plot point alone would be enough to earn the show its parental discretion advisory,
15:31but Home pushed the boundaries that much further by adding in the fact that the Peacock's matriarch
15:35had been inbreeding for years, disturbing not only Mulder and Scully, but audiences around the world.
15:41We're gonna make sure that you're safe.
15:43We're gonna make sure that you get home.
15:51Mulder, she already is home.
15:55It's Mrs. Peacock.
15:57She's their mother.
15:58Number 6. Homer's Phobia. The Simpsons.
16:02Ding dong. Classic. I mean, that says it all, doesn't it?
16:06The Simpsons has always been known for clever bits of social commentary,
16:09but this Season 8 episode stands as one of the strongest of the entire series.
16:13Noted exploitation filmmaker John Waters voices the Simpson family's new friend, John,
16:18who comes across as a threat to the homophobic Homer.
16:21It wasn't too often that we saw the lovably dim-witted Homer offering up some sincere troubled pathos,
16:26but the writers here did a great job at juggling a father's love for his family,
16:30balanced against his own recently discovered prejudices.
16:33Huh? He thinks you're gay.
16:35He thinks I'm gay?
16:37Everybody dance now!
16:41Number 5. Oz.
16:43The landscape of violence on cable television has always been one of peaks and valleys,
16:48but Oz managed to push the creative envelope for what would be displayed on the small screen.
16:52This original HBO series was set in a maximum security prison,
16:56and displayed, in shocking detail,
16:58all of the daily bits of violence and intrigue that go on behind bars.
17:01Is that why you killed Karim Saeed?
17:06No.
17:08That was revenge.
17:10Inmates and guards alike indulged in the carnage,
17:12which ranged from sexual assault and murder to scatological humiliation,
17:16making Oz a program that can still manage to disturb even today.
17:20I'm the chief of this tribe,
17:23and will teach you the right way to behave.
17:26Number 4. Politically incorrect.
17:28There may not have been any rampant sex or violence on politically incorrect with Bill Maher,
17:33but this late night talk show was never without its fireworks.
17:38Politically incorrect thrived on conversation and in-depth discussions
17:42with people who possessed diverse and passionate opinions
17:44about everything from social culture to politics.
17:47What you're telling horny teenagers is the only thing that you can do is be abstinent,
17:52and condoms don't work,
17:53so kids are not going to use condoms because they're going to listen to you
17:55and figure, well, why should we even use condoms?
17:57And that, to me, is irresponsible.
17:59As a result,
18:00Maher's show consistently provided a forum for those whose positions
18:03didn't always make for easy listening,
18:06ensuring that heated arguments would become the norm.
18:08Some of these things, you have to admit, are controversial.
18:11Absolutely.
18:11I mean, they're designed to make people think,
18:14but the point with the Bible or flags is to say
18:16it's only as valid as you make it in your heart.
18:20It's all about perception, isn't it, Marilyn?
18:22A piece of paper or a piece of cloth doesn't mean anything.
18:26It's what you believe.
18:28Maher would even land in political hot water himself
18:30due to some controversial statements the comedian made on his program
18:33shortly after 9-11, resulting in calls for his cancellation.
18:36We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away.
18:42That's cowardly.
18:43That is a cowardly.
18:44Staying in the airplane when it hits the building.
18:47Say what you want about it, not coward.
18:49Number 3.
18:50Earshot.
18:51Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
18:52This time tomorrow, I'll kill you all.
18:54This episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer falls on our list thanks to its timing,
18:59with Earshot having the unfortunate distinction of being scheduled to air
19:02one week after the Columbine High School Massacre.
19:05The episode doesn't actually deal with gun violence in reference to homicide,
19:08instead telling a sad tale of one student's depression in a clock tower.
19:12I wouldn't ever hurt anybody.
19:14Still, the fact that Earshot contained a scene of a young teen assembling a rifle
19:18caused the WB to air a rerun episode instead,
19:21pre-empting Earshot until later in the season.
19:23Number 2.
19:24The Puerto Rican Day.
19:26Seinfeld.
19:27I don't know.
19:28It's the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
19:31It may seem difficult to believe that an episode of that show about nothing
19:34could be banned for content,
19:35but that's exactly what happened to the Puerto Rican Day episode of Seinfeld.
19:39In this episode, an unfortunate series of events leads to Kramer's accidental burning
19:43of the Puerto Rican flag.
19:45He'll smell.
19:50Hey, there's a guy burning the Puerto Rican flag.
19:54Who?
19:54Who is burning the flag?
19:57The resulting heat was not only focused on Cosmo, however,
20:01but also on the show itself,
20:03with NBC being forced to issue an apology and ban the episode altogether.
20:07It wasn't until 2002 that the episode began airing unedited in syndication.
20:12Maybe we should have stumped you like you have stumped the flag.
20:16What do you think of that?
20:17Look, I just have one thing to say to you boys.
20:24Before we continue,
20:25be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
20:30You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
20:33If you're on your phone,
20:34make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
20:37Number 1.
20:41The Jerry Springer Show
20:42I don't hate you.
20:43I feel sorry for you.
20:44I only hate what you have done to your children.
20:50Come on, you know you love it.
20:51You're not alone either,
20:52as it seemed that just about everyone was tuning into The Jerry Springer Show back in the 90s
20:56for their daily dose of talk show chaos.
20:58This former mayor of Cincinnati translated his natural ease in front of the camera into a career
21:03as ringmaster for his own circus of allegedly choreographed fistfights,
21:07outrageous storylines, and salacious material,
21:10the likes of which would make just about anyone blush.
21:13The Jerry Springer Show quickly became known as the most controversial tabloid talk show around,
21:17consistently upping the ante in terms of guests,
21:20actors posing as guests,
21:22and general all-around lunacy.
21:24It is only the grown-ups such as you that teach our children to not like that person
21:29because the color of his skin is...
21:30What is the most controversial TV show ever?
21:32Let us know in the comments section.
21:34All right.
21:37Bottoms up.
21:40Now you.
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