Jokes That Got Censored in Other Countries

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micheleann62

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When writing or revising a movie or TV script, a writer must keep in mind not only the domestic censors, but the censors of other countries as well. Many shows are broadcast in several different countries, so some jokes that would be permissible in the US might not be permissible elsewhere.

I am here to gather some examples of "acceptable-to-the-US" jokes from cartoons that got edited out of the show when aired in other countries.
 
British person here! :p

I know that Regular Show gets cut on CNUK

  • "Crap" is replaced with "Crud"
  • "Pissed" is replaced with "miff"
  • "Pissed off" is replaced with "ticked off"
  • "Turd" is replaced with "Plank" for some reason
The Simpsons is also cut on Channel 4 and Sky 1, not as badly as US syndication airings, though, I think.

I think we censor stuff less in the UK than the US. For example S-words & F-words go out uncensored on what would be the equivalent to Network TV.
This is unless it's on a channel in the kid's section (CN/Nick/Disney), where as I listed above, Regular Show gets censored and we don't have the Adult Swim or Nick@Nite blocks.


Hope that helps.
 
Disney shorts
In "Up A Tree", Chip says that "a duck with a big fanny" is climbing his and Dale's tree. The "big fanny" part is cut in the U.K.

The Powerpuff Girls
The Mayor says in one episode "I got the little bugger". In the U.K. it's "I got him".

Futurama
In "The Deep South", Umbriel says to Fry "I want you to make a mer-woman out of mer-me". That line is cut in the U.K. (though it's intact on airings after watershed - 9 P.M. British time).
 
As a latin american I know that The Simpsons episode E Pluribus Wiggum was censored in Argentina due to Lenny & Carl calling Peron a dictator.
 
I know that with The Simpsons, every local network in Latin America makes their own edits however they please, but the episodes ALWAYS air uncut on cable (on Canal Fox, a.k.a. FOX Latin America). One specific example happened in Argentina where a local network (I think Telefe) edited out the Falkland Islands joke in "Burns' Heir".

Canal 13 in Chile has so many inconsistent time edits that the episodes never air the same way. One time an episode can air uncut, but later that same episode can air vastly shortened. Sometimes episodes can air back-to-back, and other times a single Halloween short can air to fill up time. Worst offender I've seen is the last time they aired "I, D'oh-bot", where the Lisa/Snowball II sub-plot was cut out entirely. The episode was nothing but the scenes with Homer and Bart.
 
E Pluribus Wiggum never aired on proper FOX (or aired ONCE, I don't remember). Most recently Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life was skipped, and they usually NEVER skip an episode.
 
Back in Season 10 Canal Fox skipped "Lisa Gets an A" and "Mayored to the Mob". No idea why, but they aired later during the off-season, even promoted as new episodes.

Now that I recall, the Shary Bobbins episode first aired as part of Season 9 on Canal Fox.

The infamous Brazilian episode ("Blame it on Lisa") was delayed due to the sparked controversy, but it aired on Canal Fox (Brazil included) after the season was over, completely unedited. It has aired many times since.
 
If I remember right, one simpsons episode got a censored joke. Although there could be a few, I dont remember them on the top of my head.
 
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