American TV Shows That Wouldn’t Be Allowed Now

3 years ago

1. All In The Family

Image source Classic.comThis Emmy-award winning series was showered with compliments and ranked as one of the greatest shows of all time, However, the character of Archie Bunker showed him to be outspoken, loud and very bigoted and it would never go down well these days with an audience.

2. The Dukes Of Hazzard

Image source Ultimate RockWhile the 'good ol' boys' never meant any harm, according to the show’s theme song, the confederate flag on their vehicle, the General Lee, is a symbol of racial intolerance and slavery which would cause an uproar nowadays, especially as it has been at the forefront over the past year.

3. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

Image source IMDbNot counting the allegations of Mama June's relationship with a child molester that was the catalyst in cancelling the show, many episodes felt exploitive and poked fun of this Southern family. Talking about neck crust might have been funny then but it's really just sad.

4. The Jefferson's

Image source IMDbWhile this show featured successful Black Americans and that was ground breaking in itself, George Jefferson was in many ways just as opinionated as his rival Archie Bunker. In today's climate, the outspoken George would have to be much more toned down than it used to be.

5. Are You Hot? The Search For America's Sexiest People

Image source Body & SoulThis was car crash reality, like a beauty pageant gone wrong! Women and men were judged on how hot they were and a laser point highlighted their flaws. It didn't go down great when it aired but if you put on a programme now about body shaming, the complaints would soon mount up from viewers.

6. Married ....With Children

Image source DeadlineIt’s hard to imagine a world where Al and Peg Bundy never existed but this '90s series is no longer funny if you watch the reruns . Seen as vulgar, crude and sexist, these are just three things from a whole host, that objectify women and make for very uncomfortable viewing.

7. The Honeymooners

Image source WikipediaA show where a man regularly threatens violence against his wife because she has opinions is enough to make you mad but this early American black and white show made domestic violence seem acceptable. The guy would be seen to raise his fist and scream at his wife.

8. Boy Meets Boy

Image source SimklA gay version of 'The Batchelor' sounds like it was going to be a big hit but the twist of this 2003 Bravo show was that half the guys were straight and the batchelor wouldn't find this out until the final three were selected. It was deceitful and down right upsetting. It would never be screened this decade.

9. Bosom Buddies

Image source Los Angeles TimesThis light-hearted comedy starring Tom Hanks isn't as offensive as others on this list but the plot is enough to make you feel uneasy. A show about two men dressing in drag in order to score cheap rent in an all-female apartment building doesn’t make any sense in today’s knowledgeable culture.

10. South Park

Image source The RingerThis one is still on the air but has always caused controversy, right from the first episode. The Cartman character was voted the most offensive character of all time but because cute, animated kids are used, the show has somehow got away with everything that is so wrong about it.

11. The Benny Hill Show

Image source The MirrorNot sure how this British show made it across the pond and, even more strangely, became a huge hit with its American audience. A creepy old man chases around half naked females and the rude gags, seen as playful and funny in the 70s, were gross and predatory.

12. Baywatch

Image source Slate.comOne of the most popular shows on TV at the time, with the highest viewing figures worldwide, mainly revolved around scantily clad men and women running in slow motion on a beach. Pamela Anderson's assets were always protruding on the screen and the show wouldn't get past the pilot episode if shown now.

13. The Swan

Image source GameSpotThere are some really awful reality tv shows out there but this one would beat them all with its tastelessness. It was about women who thought they were ugly and were given extreme plastic surgery. They went through so much pain to be transformed and we would share that pain if we were forced to watch it.

14. Man Versus Beast

Image source Deadline

How this show ever got commissioned is beyond my thinking, A tug of war with an elephant on one side and 44 dwarves on the other is as bad as it gets. A sumo wrestler taking on a gorilla was no better; neither was a Navy Seal racing against a chimp. Beggars beyond belief!

15. Minipops

Image source Eighties Kids

1983 saw very young kids mimicking famous pop stars. It was far from cute, even then, with the children dancing provocatively and singing suggestive lyrics. The girls, in particular, were a hard watch as they were fully made up with bright lipstick. This type of show could give out very bad vibes to the wrong kind of person.

16. Heil, Honey I'm Home

Image source Comedy ClubThis show was aimed as a spoof on classic American comedies, it was described as 'the world's most tasteless sitcom' by historian Marian Calabro. It was criticised for making Nazism trivial and each episode outdid the last one by pushing the barriers further and further.

17. Playing It Straight

Image source EpisodDate.comDoes it get any worse than this? So, a woman wants to find love and is faced with 14 men to see which one she gels the best with. The twist is that some of the males were secretly gay and if the female chooses one of these guys, then she has to share her million dollar winning with them. If she picks a straight man, she keeps all the dosh. So wrong on so many levels.

18. Chains Of Love

Image source WikipediaOn UPN's 2001 show, a person is physically chained to 4 contestants of the opposite sex (yes, you read that right). They have to use the bathroom together and slept in the same bed. Need I go on? Through elimination, the contestants were unchained until the last one was left and scooped the prize money. No. no, no!

19. Momma's Boys

Image source Eonline.comOn the theme of terrible dating shows, this one was right up there. In a nutshell, possessive mothers had to find love for their doting sons. Language consisted of racial abuse and antisemitism, all in the quest of twinning the perfect partnership. There were at least 10 things that would stop it being shown again.

20. Baggage

Image source GlamourJerry Springer was a good pull for a new show, based on his successful past tv stints. Maybe then but not now! It was all about emotional baggage contestants carried that they had to offload. This was all in the name of finding love. These days it would be in the name of turning off the tv.

21. Beauty And The Geek

Image source Nicki SwiftAny show where men are defined by their intellect and women by their physical appearance, should be labelled 'take it off air'. The battle of the sexes saw them fight over a $250k prize and for reasons unknown, it aired for four seasons, before being taken off due to a ripple of complaints. In 2022 that would be more like a tidal wave.

22. For Love Or Money

Image source Rotten TomatoesNBC thought they'd invented the perfect dating programme in 2003 but, as it was taken off in 2004, maybe their judgement wasn't to be relied upon. Once the couple were matched and thought they couldn't bear to be apart for even a second, they could make the choice to stay together or take a cash sum!

23. Californication

Image source Amazon.com Please don't read this before the 9pm watershed. This '90s show featured full and partial nudity of both men and women so lots of dangly bits all round! The chat was all about sex although, thankfully, no sex scenes were actually shown. Scraping the barrel with this one.

24. Girls

Image source IMDbGirls follows the lives of a close group of 20-somethings living in New York City, a similar thread to 'Sex and the City', although 'Girls' was much more sexually explicit. Not sure how the scene of a girl eating cake on the toilet (how unhygienic) would increase viewing figures.

25. Unhappily Ever After

Image source YouTubeIf you found Married....with Children offensive, then Unhappily Ever After, the blatant rip off, was even worse, cruder and more inappropriate. Viewing figures were initially good but even back then viewers were feeling it was a bit below the belt. It would be round the ankles right now!

26. Sanford & Son

Image source PITS FilmsAt the time, this show was seen as being an edgy, forward-thinking sitcom with its finger on the pulse. Looking back, it did little more than glorify racial stereotypes and make caricatures of black people for mainly white audiences. Imagine the uproar if this was back on telly.

27. Entourage

Image source HBOBefore the term 'toxic masculinity' came to be known, there was only 'Entourage'. This series idealized Peter Pan syndrome in grown men and the characters were caught in a state of perpetual arrested development. Don't even mention the abusive tendencies of Ari Gold!

28. Taxi

Image source ABCThe 1970s sitcom, a huge hit back then, couldn't be shown now. There was lots of sexual innuendos and references to alcohol and drug use. The script was funny and the main part of the show was about friendships but the underlying subjects wouldn't cut it today.

29. I Dream Of Jeannie

Image source HBO

This sitcom, which first aired in 1965, was about an astronaut who finds a beautiful woman in a bottle! She falls in love with him and he has her call him 'Master' while catering to his wishes. Yeah, we’re sure that plot wouldn’t fit into tonight’s primetime line up.

30. Hogan's Heroes

Image source Forbes

The classic comedy wouldn't make it on tv today because of where it was set. The hit series was based in a German WWII prisoner-of-war camp. That's not a place you'd associate with a comedy and networks wouldn't want to offend anyone so it wouldn't go down well at this time.

31. Amos N' Andy

Image Source / Showbiz CheatSheetThis TV show stemmed from a popular radio show in the 20's, and its racist stereotypes led to quite a bit of controversy that wouldn't fly today. Two black actors were chosen to fill the roles of two white men, and there was also public outrage about how black Americans were depicted. Needless to say, it got cancelled.

32. Maude

Image Source / Showbiz CheatSheetMaude was the spin-off of All in the Family. The comedy show decided to focus less on comedy and more on topics of dark humor - including, you guessed it, controversial ones. Maude's character would be seen popping pills and having an abortion, as well as being quite a heavy drinker.

33. F-Troop

Image Source / Showbiz CheatSheetThis TV series set in the Old West would never be acceptable by today's standards due to its depiction of Native Americans. For a start, none of the actors playing the roles of American Indians were, in fact, Native American. The show was also full of painful stereotypes, such as speaking in broken English.

34. The Lone Ranger

Image Source / Showbiz CheatSheetThe story of a Cowboy and Indian overcoming differences and becoming friends can be seen as an inspirational one, but the problem with this one was the way - once again - the Native American character of Tonto was depicted. Tonto, for a start, means 'fool', and the show really did a number with the racist stereotypes.

35. Two And A Half Men

Image Source / Showbiz CheatSheetThis one may feel like quite a recent TV show, but it's already outdated in a lot of offensive material. The main one being Charlie Harper's treatment of women. Most of the female characters in the show are treated as sex objects or victims of Charlie's womanizing ways.

36. Alf

Image Source / Amazon.comWhile you may not at first understand what's controversial about a made-up alien living with a family on Earth, it's more about what that alien is supposed to represent. Alf's behaviour in acting like a pig, having a huge nose and sounding like Jackie Mason is a little too close to the uncomfortable stereotype of Jewish people.

37. Chicken Soup

Image Source / TV TimeSpeaking of Jackie Mason... Chicken Soup was expected to be a huge success, but instead it was just racist. The show revealed the relationship between a Jew and a Catholic, for a start, and Jackie Mason's Jewish salesmen was the pinnacle of stereotype, but there was also controversy off set, too, with some of the actor's comments. The show got cancelled.

38. The Deadliest Warrior

Image Source / Deadliest Warrior Wiki - FandomThe concept of this show is seriously cool, no doubt about that. Using science and tech, re-enactments are made to determine who would win fights between some of the most well known civilisations, like Mongols versus the Vikings. But the problem with this show was that none of the actors playing the people from each race and civilisation were actually the right race.

39. Manimal

Image Source / The ReprobateThis ridiculous 80s show saw a white man visiting Africa and Tibet - seen as 'savage' places - and therefore blurring the lines between man and beast as he then went on to be able to turn into a black panther and help the police fight crime. Right.

40. COPS

Image Source / YouTubeThis reality TV series following cops 'doing their job' is a highly popular one, but the problem is regarding the criminals - and we don't mean because of their crimes. Pretty much all the criminals on the show are black or Hispanic. Sure, if they're genuinely the only people committing crimes, that would be fair enough, but that can't be accurate - white criminals exist too, you know.

41. Method And Red

Image Source / IMDbThis sitcom only served to reinforce this ridiculous stereotype of black rappers. The show's premise was Red and Meth - two black men - would disrupt and annoy their white neighbours, and the way they'd do this would be through loud music, even louder cars and a sexual provocative woman in their hot tub.

42. Friends

Image Source / VoxIt can be difficult to see one of the most beloved sitcoms on a controversial list, especially if you're a fan, but you have to think of this with an objective mind. Because the fact is, Friends was completely white. The lack of representation was shocking, and off the top of your head, I bet you can only think of Charlie (the side character of a couple of episodes) being the only black person you can remember from the show.

43. Beverly Hills, 90210

Image Source / DeciderAccording to this show, in the wealthiest places of California, other races don't exist. The show's main cast was all white and non-minority. Only a few episodes even focused on race, and the show's modern remake had a black character stuffed in for the simple reason that he'd been adopted by a white family.

44. The Little Rascals (Our Gang)

Image Source / Travalanche - Wordpress.comThe Little Rascals was originally a series of shorts from the 20s and 30s. It then had a television show in the 50s. While it could be viewed as a plus for having characters of different races instead of being all white, the problem was how the ethnic 'rascals' were portrayed. One was called Buckwheat, for one.

45. All-American Girl

Image Source / ABC Wiki - FandomAsian-American viewers had a lot of issues with this show, which ultimately led to its cancellation (but they weren't the only ones). Margaret Cho, a Korean actress, hired non-Korean actors to fill in every other role of the show to play her family. And the characters then suffered through stereotypes, too - you know, like her brother is Asian therefore he must be a nerd.

46. The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer

Image Source / IMDbThe premise of this show is that the black guy is the intelligent one - therefore it's a comedy, because who could take that concept seriously? The black man is brought to America to be Abraham Lincoln's driver as well as offer some life advice. He's basically the only sane person in an all-white household. And that's hilarious, apparently.

47. Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers

Image Source / Plugged InThis one deals with racism through animated cats. Siamese cats, of course! The Siamese kitties run a laundromat - because of course they do - which is actually an illegal gambling set-up in the basement - because of course it is - and they also can't speak proper English. Not because they're cats, but because they're Siamese.

48. The Facts Of Life

Image Source / Entertainment WeeklyThe Facts of Life was a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes, with an all-girl cast. And yep, it was racist - but this time, not just against black people (although that of course happened). The African-American boyfriend was illiterate (and also a jock, with the stereotype that jocks are stupid) and the main character also makes friends with a Japanese girl as though it's a trend.

49. Happy Days

Image Source / bio. Biography.comAh, the not-so-happy-days for this show. If you're happy with an all white cast and the Fonz charm, then it's a great show. But this one made it seem like there were no other races around in the 1950s - until Fonzie meets the black character 'Sticks' in the show and makes it seem like he's doing black people a favour.

50. That '70s Show

Image Source / Us WeeklyBecause he's a foreign exchange student, naturally the character of Fez can't get a date - and his white friends all like to laugh at him. But hey, that's comedy in this era! The only time Fez gets more respect - and action - is when the two main white characters leave the show.