Updated: Nine pulls “Bloody Mary” South Park episode
UPDATED: Channel Nine has pulled the controversial "Bloody Mary" episode of South Park from GO! following today's lead story on TV Tonight.
- Published by David Knox
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UPDATED: Nine has this afternoon pulled a controversial “Bloody Mary” South Park episode from GO! following a story today on TV Tonight.
The episode was due to air next Tuesday night.
It will now replace the episode with “Christian Hard Rock” -which is exactly the same episode SBS put in its place when it dropped the episode.
Nine Programming presumably had no insight into the content of the episode or has buckled under pressure following today’s story,
Nine is yet to provide comment to enquiries from TV Tonight.
Today’s story ran as follows:
Next week GO! will air the highly controversial “Bloody Mary” episode of South Park.
SBS bowed to pressure and opted not to air this in 2006, after it caused outrage in the US.
The episode includes scenes of a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding “out its ass”, lelading to protests to Comedy Central which dropped it from its repeats.
Melbourne Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart wrote to SBS asking the broadcaster not to air the episode. It bowed to pressure and withheld it from airing. The episode has since screened on the Comedy Channel.
It also aired in New Zealand on C4 despite Prime Minister Helen Clark issuing a statement saying the episode sounded “revolting.” After howls of complaints C4 later apologised for offending viewers.
The “Bloody Mary” episode will air at 10:30 Tuesday May 25 on GO! rated MA.
This week GO! was found to have breached the Code of Practice for an episode of Dante’s Cove, while another complaint is under review.
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57 Responses
Perhaps you should have kept quiet David. 🙁
I see that TV Tonight has decided to create some contrived “controversy” in the style of tabloid current affair shows like Today Tonight and ACA.
If you buy the rights to South Park, you should expect to air controversial episodes. It is an extremely weak decision by Nine to pull the episode presumably because of this website…
John: My original story did not criticise GO! or get judgmental over the content. If I had been like TT or ACA there would have been a lobby group representative slamming Nine as moral outrage.
I ran a story on a network running an episode that another network had declined to air after pressure in 2006. For a website reporting TV news I view that as newsworthy, and one I would repeat.
I believe this afternoon’s move by Nine made it additional news and hence the Update.
Must be Moral Outrage Friday.
Silly religious people
And they wonder why people resort to other means to watch tv shows.
So we give in to religious terrorists then?
Grow some balls, Nine!
Who cares. There are many other ways to watch this episode without seeing it “Goi”.
Absolutely ridiculous for the people complaining, if you dont like what is being shown then don’t watch it simple as that.
Of course it’s revolting – you don’t tune into South Park for scintillating, intellectual witticims! Don’t like it? Go back to 2.5 Braincells instead.
@ant: The episode in question may offend Muslims as well, as Mary is a significant figure in Islam, and in fact, has her own chapter in the Qur’an.
Have they taken it out yet or will it actually make it to air?
Look, if Christians don’t want to watch it then that’s their business, but why do they have to ruin it for the rest of us?
@jj agree!!
I found this episode boring. Not one of their funniest.
And yes, wouldn’t be surprised if Conroy got the episode pulled.
Lets face it because it pokes fun at christians its fine, although if it was another religion, say muslims, then there would be no chance in hell that it would be aired.!!!
love it!!!
Sweeeeet!
I’m betting the moral police will force Nine to bow to their will and the episode will be removed from the schedule.
I think viewers needs to take it for what it is. South Park has always been a show that pokes fun taboo topics. It’s kind of like when someone says a show is s**t, yet has never watched an episode of that show…
Bet they wont show an image of muhammad.
Hilarious.
“It also aired in New Zealand on C4 despite Prime Minister Helen Clark issuing a statement saying the episode sounded “revolting.” After howls of complaints C4 later apologised for offending viewers.”
It’s South Park they’re watching. What do they expect? Bananas in Pyjamas style entertainment?
This is an event and should be recorded and preserved on my PVR!
This episode was great, people get offended way to easily these days. I loved Randy Marsh in this episode with his “I have a disease” excuse for drinking.
Religion meddling with society really just emphasises how vain some people and institutions can be.
The episode that screen on C4 in New Zealand was (and I believe still is) the most watching program on the channels history, and rated about six times higher than regular South Park episodes.
Nothing like a bit of controversy (there was plenty in NZ before the episode screen) to boost ratings 😛