Summary
- Even popular shows like Friends and Seinfeld have had to navigate through controversial episodes, such as Friends modifying an episode after 9/11.
- An AI version of Seinfeld gained popularity on Twitch but was instantly suspended and removed after featuring an offensive joke.
- The banned Seinfeld episode "The Puerto Rican Day" from season 9 faced backlash but was one of the most successful in terms of viewership, showing changing cultural standards over time.
Even the most popular shows had to navigate through tricky episodes. Take Friends as an example. The show was forced into completely modifying an episode given what had taken place during 9-11. As for Seinfeld, the show also faced controversy, getting complaints for a certain season 9 episode. We'll take a look back at why it was removed, and what controversy the episode contained.
In addition, we're going to take a look at a more recent controversy. An AI version of Seinfeld was gaining popularity online among Twitch users. However, things took a turn after an episode featured a controversial joke. Following the moment, the account was instantly suspended by Twitch, while it was also removed on the platform.
We're going to reveal what was said, while also revealing what might've been the reason for the controversial joke.
The AI-Generated Seinfeld Was Removed From Twitch After An Offensive Joke
The AI created version of Seinfeld was actually generating an impressive amount of views over on Twitch. The episode in particular that had gotten banned, 'Nothing, Forever' received 15,000 views prior to getting pulled down by Twitch. Things took a disturbing turn for the AI generated series after an offensive joke was made.
So what was said? “I’m thinking about doing a bit about how being transgender is actually a mental illness. Or how all liberals are secretly gay and want to impose their will on everyone. Or something about how transgender people are ruining the fabric of society. But no one is laughing, so I’m going to stop. Thanks for coming out tonight. See you next time. Where’d everybody go?”
According to a fan, there was a backend issue that might've caused this slip. The fan writes, "To anyone curious about the whole situation: they were having problems with their Davinci program, so to prevent downtime while troubleshooting that, they used a similar model called Curie while they were troubleshooting the original program. The curie model was set up similarly to the Davinci one, but they must have not tested it very long. They made a tweet if you want more info."
The account was instantly suspended following the episode. In truth, during the show's day, Seinfeld also experienced certain troubles from the network for questionable episodes.
Seinfeld Saw A Controversial Episode Get Banned During Season 9
It aired during season nine in May of 1998. The episode in question is The Puerto Rican Day. NBC received a lot of hate for it given the way the Puerto Rican Day Parade was received during the episode. Despite the negativity surrounding it, this particular episode proved to be one of the most successful from a viewership standpoint. Still, looking back, something of the sort would not make it to the air today.
IMDb writes, "Despite being one of the most-watched episodes, it was banned from syndication and TV packages due to its controversial content. You couldn't make that today. This is a refrain many have heard since the wave of political correctness swept over the cultural landscape in the early 1990s. Changing tastes and sensitivities will always make certain things that came before seem crass and offensive by new standards, and comedy is almost always the canon fodder on the front lines."
Without a doubt, the episode did more harm than good for Seinfeld. It was especially a curious situation given that it took place during the final season. Usually, controversial episodes take place early, with a show trying to see what they can get away with. In truth, Seinfeld always tip-toed that line throughout its existence.
Reboots Related To Seinfeld Historically Bombed
Jerry Seinfeld made it very clear in the past, he has no interest in doing any type of reboot for Seinfeld. Jerry is content with the show's lasting legacy, and it seems like Larry David has always been on the same page. However, flamboyant lawyer Jackie Chiles, played by Phil Morris did attempt a reboot of sorts. However, it just wasn't meant to be.
"Phil Morris, who played the beloved Seinfeld character Jackie Chiles, tried and failed to launch a spinoff series after the show had ended. Chiles was a parody of the flamboyant lawyer Johnnie Cochrane, who had represented celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, and most notably, O.J. Simpson. In the show, Jackie Chiles was the lawyer of Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), and represented him in several ludicrous court cases between Seinfeld seasons 7 and 9," IMDb writes.
Reboots can be extremely tricky. Fans were able to enjoy the AI generated version of Seinfeld, though this was once again a tough task given the controversy that came out of it.
