- 7 minutes ago
Television can be a battleground for social norms and taboos. Join us as we examine the most controversial TV episodes that sparked outrage, protests, and even boycotts! From pregnancy taboos in the 1950s to LGBTQ representation and sexual content, these shows pushed boundaries and changed television forever.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the TV episodes that incurred
00:10the most outrage, backlash, and controversy from audiences, justifiable or not. Major spoilers to
00:16come. Number 10. Breaker of Chains, Game of Thrones. This gritty fantasy show has always attracted
00:39controversy due to its violence, nudity, and explicit sex scenes, consensual or otherwise,
00:45but many felt the season 4 episode's violent sexual assault went beyond the pale. In the wake
00:51of King Joffrey's death, his mother, Cersei, begs her brother and lover, Jaime, to kill Tyrion.
01:04Instead, Jaime forces himself on Cersei right beside her son's tomb. Reactions grew more heated following
01:11director Alex Graves' comments on the encounter becoming consensual by the end.
01:15Many felt the scene was done for pure shock value, a very common criticism of the show
01:19as a whole, unfortunately.
01:21You're a hateful woman. Why have the gods made me love a hateful woman?
01:31Number 9. Birth 101, Murphy Brown.
01:34This CBS sitcom follows the titular news reporter and journalist as she struggles with drinking
01:55problems and sexism in the workplace. When the father of her child declines to become a parent,
02:00Murphy decides to have the child anyway. Predictably, the show's decision sparked
02:04major ire among conservative viewers for defying family values. Vice President Dan Quayle even
02:10criticized the storyline during the 1992 presidential campaign.
02:13It doesn't help matters when primetime TV has Murphy Brown, a character who supposedly epitomizes
02:20today's intelligent, highly paid professional woman. In an inspired, if daring response, the series
02:26actually included Quayle's real-life comments in the script, with Murphy Brown directly addressing
02:31them on TV. Life critiques art, and art critiques life right back.
02:35I mean, I was really afraid to go out, because it was so, there was such an energy coming that
02:43was so huge, that I didn't know how to manage it.
02:49Number 8. Nude Awakening, NYPD Blue.
03:00For a police detective show, this show stirred quite a bit of controversy.
03:04Granted, NYPD Blue was a realistic and often gritty take on the personal and professional
03:09lives of the detectives in question. This includes foul language, but also a surprising
03:14amount of nudity. The Parents Television Council was first established, in fact, because of this
03:19series, filing its first complaints to the FCC against NYPD Blue for obscenity. The PTC even
03:25tried to fine ABC $1.4 million for the scenes in Nude Awakening, before the US Court of Appeals
03:31throughout the suit. All much ado about nothing on.
03:37Number 7. Her Cups Runneth On, Married With Children.
03:46There's realism, and then, there is realism. In this Season 3 episode, wife Peggy finds out her
03:52favorite bra has been discontinued, and must venture to a lingerie store to buy it. Cue sexually
03:57risqué moments, including ogling, cross-dressing, and heavily implied nudity.
04:01Excuse me, sir. Are you straight?
04:04The hairs on my chest are.
04:06Good. Maybe you can help me. If you were my boyfriend, would you like this?
04:12Unsurprisingly, the episode got backlash, with activist Terry Reculta trying to get advertisers
04:17to boycott the show. Politicians also criticized the series for its lewdness, including Joe Lieberman.
04:23The attempted boycott and criticism wound up helping the show's ratings, however, and Married With Children
04:28even addressed the criticism in later episodes. C'est la vie.
04:37Number 6. Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Roseanne.
04:41Jackie, there's nothing to be nervous about.
04:43No, what's to be nervous about? It should be clear to anyone that I'm traditional.
04:47LGBTQIA plus rights and acceptance came slowly, but popular culture definitely helped.
04:53This popular sitcom in particular included a kiss between two women.
04:57In the season 6 episode, Roseanne goes to a gay bar to prove her cool factor,
05:01where she is hit on by her friend's girlfriend, and even given a kiss.
05:05Fearing the inevitable backlash, ABC initially refused to air the episode.
05:08Backing off only when lead actress Roseanne Barr threatened to move her show,
05:21the gay and lesbian alliance against defamation also urged ABC to air the episode uncensored.
05:27Fortunately for ABC, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, although inspiring great outrage,
05:31had high ratings and viewership. Pretty good results for one kiss.
05:34Huh?
05:46Number 5. The Puppy Episode, Ellen.
05:49You thought I was gay?
05:52Why would you think I was gay?
05:56Oh, wow. I'm sorry. I just kind of got that vibe.
06:01Vibe? Like a gay vibe?
06:04Speaking of which, this episode alone proved to be a game changer for LGBTQIA plus representation.
06:10This season 4 two-parter focused on Ellen's realization that she's attracted to women.
06:15She finally comes out to her crush Susan at the airport,
06:17but in typical sitcom fashion, she says it into a microphone.
06:20Why can't I just say the truth? I mean, be who I am. I'm 35 years old.
06:26I'm so afraid to tell people. I mean, I just...
06:29Susan, I'm gay.
06:32The producers were so loath to have Ellen be gay that they considered giving her a puppy instead,
06:38hence the tongue-in-cheek title.
06:39The episode was as much praised as it was condemned,
06:42incurring right-wing boycotts, petitions, and even a bomb threat.
06:46In an era where few actors came out in shows, this puppy episode really opened doors.
06:51So, do you think that dream means anything?
06:59Well, let me go out on a limb here.
07:03Number 4. The Speech. The It Crowd.
07:06I'm sorry. It's beyond my control.
07:08Please, Douglas! Please!
07:10This British sitcom got itself on the audience's wrong side with this season 3 episode.
07:16Here, Douglas falls for journalist April, who turns out to be a transgender woman.
07:20When he learns the truth, Douglas reacts violently, getting into a fistfight with her.
07:25For obvious reasons, the episode inspired complaints about violence against a transgender woman played for laughs.
07:30Please, please, look at me. I am a woman.
07:35This is a woman in front of you.
07:38Excuse me.
07:39I am a woman!
07:41Showwriter Graham Linehan's comments about trans women were criticized as well for their transphobia.
07:46In 2020, Channel 4 removed the speech from its streaming service, citing the backlash as the reason.
07:52The show came to an end one season later, perhaps never quite recovering from this controversial episode.
07:57I read something along those lines.
07:58What? No, not Iran. A man. I said I used to be a man.
08:05You used to be a man.
08:08Number 3. Maude's Dilemma. Maude.
08:10I was out skating with Peggy Fleming.
08:14Mother, what are you talking about?
08:16Carol, life is just a bowl of cherries.
08:19Do you know who wrote that song?
08:21A deranged fruit peddler.
08:22There is one topic arguably more controversial than nudity, sexual violence, and LGBTQIA plus rights, and this gutsy 70s CBS show tackled it.
08:33When 47-year-old Maude finds herself pregnant, she is torn between continuing the pregnancy and getting an abortion.
08:39This simple plot attracted thousands of protest letters and a campaign by the United States Catholic Conference.
08:46Stay where you are.
08:47Look, if there were anything wrong with Walter, I'd be the first to know.
08:50Others point-blank refused to air the two-parter.
09:02The timing was especially opportune, or inopportune.
09:05It aired just two months before Roe vs. Wade.
09:08Could this episode be done today?
09:09Creator Norman Lear tried to do a live reading of the show in 2024, but ABC did not greenlight it.
09:15Time may move forwards, but society can always go backwards.
09:32Number 2. Episode 847. Sesame Street.
09:36Ooh, curses!
09:39The wind blew that broom right out from under me, and dumped me here.
09:43Nothing beats the Wicked Witch of the West when it comes to Breaking Taboo.
09:46This iconic villain from the classic film The Wizard of Oz appeared on Sesame Street in this 1976 episode,
09:53with Margaret Hamilton reprising her role.
09:55In it, denizens of Sesame Street stand up to the Wicked Witch of the West's villainous ways,
09:59except Oscar the Grouch, who is predictably enamored with a fellow grump.
10:03That didn't work either.
10:04Well, they all worked!
10:06They didn't work on that.
10:07The episode spurred complaints from angry parents that the episode was too frightening for their children.
10:19Although the evidence was inconclusive,
10:21Children's Television Workshop decided not to re-air the episode.
10:24It was eventually archived by the Library of Congress for preservation purposes.
10:28Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
10:44You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:48If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:52Number 1. Lucy is Enceinte. I love Lucy.
10:58You can meet my mother! I mean my wife! My wife!
11:01You're beautiful! You're beautiful!
11:03What?
11:04You're beautiful! You're beautiful!
11:08We're having a baby. My baby and me.
11:14It's hard to believe there used to be an era of television,
11:17where pregnancy itself was considered bad taste.
11:19But this seminal show, led by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, eased the stigma considerably.
11:25In season 2, going against CBS's wishes to hide Ball's real-life pregnancy,
11:29Arnaz and writer Jess Oppenheimer decided to incorporate it into the show's plot.
11:33What's the matter, honey? Are you sick?
11:35No, I just want to get a checkup.
11:37I need a tonic or something. I've been feeling real dauncy.
11:40While it was not the first time a TV show has done this,
11:43it was certainly the most controversial.
11:44The show had to skirt the network's censors by avoiding the word pregnant,
11:49opting for expecting, and other euphemisms.
11:52The storyline was a great success,
11:54and no less than 44 million Americans tuned in to Lucy's delivery episode.
11:58All's well that ends well.
11:59Which other TV episode do you know attracted a storm of controversy?
12:14Let us know in the comments down below.
12:15An adorable little recipe.
12:19Oh yes indeedy, she was.
12:22Now Carol, stand back as we listen to these voices from Loaf of Bread's past.
Recommended
20:53
|
Up next
21:50
11:09
9:51
29:01
12:11
13:08
12:01
20:04
13:36
14:21
10:24
11:44
50:52
1:36
0:12
1:00
1:33
15:34
Be the first to comment