There’s something eternally captivating about the TV shows we weren’t meant to watch. The ones yanked off the airwaves, the subject of hushed tales on fan websites, or passed around on vintage VHS. Whether banned for being too audacious, too somber, or simply too ill-timed, these shows have attained mythical status. These are 11 of the most notorious television episodes that networks attempted to hide—yet fans never forgot.
11. Friends – “The One with the Lesbian Wedding”
You’d expect a juggernaut like Friends to avoid controversy, but Season 2’s wedding of Carol and Susan sparked pushback. Though widely praised for its portrayal of a same-gender couple, several stations in Texas and Ohio refused to air it. Looking back, what now seems like a heartwarming, progressive moment was once deemed too risky for primetime.
10. Bluey – “Dad Baby”
Even Bluey, the clean Aussie children’s show, found itself in trouble. In “Dad Baby,” Bandit fakes being pregnant and gives “birth” during a goofy, fantasy game. Though innocuous, Disney+ decided not to air the episode in America, deeming it a step too far for Americans. It still exists through Bluey’s official YouTube channel, to the delight of fans.
9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “Earshot”
At other times, timing is everything. “Earshot,” which involves a student spotted with a rifle, was set to air in 1999—just days following the Columbine massacre. Due to sensitivity, the episode was pushed back for months. When it finally did air, critics praised its handling of teen mental illness, but the timing forever relegated it to one of TV’s most chillingly relevant episodes.
8. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – “America’s Next Top Paddy’s Billboard Model Contest”
Controversy was always Sunny’s moneymaker, but this Season 4 installment went too far. Dee’s Martina Martinez, played in blackface, saw streaming platforms pull it completely years down the line. While meant as satire, the racial undertones were too egregious for sites to ignore.
7. South Park – “Super Best Friends” (and Others)
South Park nearly lives off controversy, but showing Muhammad in “Super Best Friends” would become a lightning rod later on. Initially, the episode was aired without any issues. However, after violent threats accompanied other depictions of Muhammad in the media, it was removed from reruns and online streaming quietly. Now, some South Park episodes are stored away due to the same religious sensitivities.
6. Sesame Street – “Snuffy’s Parents Get a Divorce”
Believe it or not, even Sesame Street has had an episode that was banned. Producers originally tried to tackle divorce in a child-friendly manner through the parents of Snuffy. But children who saw test screenings came away more confused and frightened, with some believing that their parents would no longer love them. The show never aired, and the series did not explore the subject again for decades.
5. Pokémon – “Electric Soldier Porygon”
This notorious episode aired in Japan in 1997 and soon made global headlines when flashing lights induced seizures in hundreds of viewers. Almost 700 kids were hospitalized, leading the show to be banned globally. Not only has it never been re-aired, but the character Porygon was blacklisted from the franchise entirely.
4. Tiny Toon Adventures – “One Beer”
Meant as an anti-drinking lesson, this cartoon completely lost its mind. In “One Beer,” Buster, Plucky, and Hamton get drunk, hotwire a car, and drive off a cliff. It ran only once in 1991 before being pulled for being much too intense for a children’s cartoon. To this day, it’s still recalled as one of the strangest misses in Saturday morning television history.
3. The X-Files – “Home”
If there’s one episode of The X-Files that continues to give people the creeps even after all these years, it’s “Home.” The 1996 tale of an inbred, grotesque family was so repellent that Fox wouldn’t rerun it for years. When it finally resurfaced in syndication, it still held its standing as one of the creepiest hours ever seen on network television.
2. Maude – “Maude’s Dilemma”
Norman Lear broke new ground on sitcoms in 1972 with this two-part episode, in which Maude has an abortion. The episode was broadcast mere months before the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, and it caused uproar around the country. Sponsors withdrew, and dozens of affiliates banned reruns. Even today, it remains one of the most daring—and controversial—TV plotlines ever tried.
1. Pokémon – “Electric Soldier Porygon” (Yes, Again)
Yes, this particular one is so infamous it rates a second mention. The Pokémon episode that caused seizures didn’t merely get censored—it altered broadcast standards for animation on the planet. It’s still one of the most infamous moments in TV history and an example of the kind of power (and danger) children’s media possesses.
From sitcoms to cartoons to hard-hitting dramas, no part of television has remained safe from controversy. Whether ahead of their time, victims of poor timing, or just too shocking to swallow, these banned episodes remain in pop culture history as a testament to the fact that what’s “too much for TV” winds up becoming legend.