An episode of is banned from being shown in the , after it was claimed that the TV network found it ‘too edgy’.
For 25 years, the animated sitcom created by has become a global phenomenon, thanks to its iconic characters and satirical humour.
The show has also become renowned for not shying away from subject matters that are bound to spark up debate, in a such as .
In 2010, an episode of Family Guy titled Partial Terms of Endearment was due to be released, which was.
While it did air on in the UK, it was prohibited from being broadcast on its original network in the US.
The instalment follows Lois after an old friend of hers from college asks if she’ll carry her baby as her surrogate.
She agrees to the request, despite her husband Peter’s opposition to the idea.
After Lois becomes pregnant, she finds out that the biological parents have been Ki**ed in an accident, and so she’s faced with a big decision – whether to go through with the pregnancy and give birth to the baby or have an abortion.
Peter attempts to persuade Lois not to have an abortion, after he becomes influenced by anti-abortion protesters.
However, in the end Lois does decide to terminate the pregnancy.
It might not be a surprise that this episode of Family Guy stoked up controversy in the US, considering the starkly different views held across the country regarding abortion.
In 2022, the Supreme Court voted to overrule Roe v Wade, a landmark decision that dated back to 1973, which guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion.
After five decades, this right was overturned two years ago, meaning that the federal constitutional right to an abortion no longer exists in the US.
explained: ‘As a result, one in three women now live in states where abortion is not accessible. In the first few months after Roe was overturned, 18 states banned or severely restricted abortion. Today more states are working to pass bans.’
In an interview published in the in 2010 with Family Guy creator Seth about the episode, he was asked if it occurred to him ‘that maybe abortion isn’t a funny subject’.
‘It didn’t. It’s an issue that you read about in the papers all the time, like anything else. So that is fodder for political and social satire,’ he responded at the time.
‘There’s nothing about that issue that should be any different than doing an episode about gay marriage, or an episode about the oil spill.’
The publication also reported former Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly saying in response to the episode being banned: ‘It’s an extremely fragile subject matter at an extremely fragile economic time.
‘Of all the issues, this is the one that seems to be the most of a hot button. Particularly at that moment in time, the economy was really struggling and there were a lot of very tough conversations going on with clients.’
Seth reportedly said during a conference at Comic-Con that the episode was deemed ‘too edgy’ by Fox.
The episode was still available when purchased as part of a DVD set of the season.
Family Guy is available to stream on Disney Plus.
