# Television episodes that wouldn’t fly today **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312 "2017-02-20T12:21:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/61 "2017-02-22T01:48:55Z")
> [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](#): > > Gloria had a job as a cashier for Ferguson’s Department store starting in the first season. The set up was that she and Mike would live with the Bunkers until Mike graduated and started a teaching career and she would help the cost by working as a cashier.I’m not sure if she still worked after Joey was born. I remember Gloria working at a department store. In one episode she was fired for getting pregnant. IIRC the department store rehired to work in their maternity department to avoid a boycott. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/62 "2017-02-22T02:29:21Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Rob and Laura had flashbacks to Richie’s delivery while they were living in one house, and in another episode, they brought Richie home from the hospital to the house on Bonnie Meadow Road. Ret-con: Rob moved while Laura was in the hospital. Since women stayed for like 10 days back then, it’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/63 "2017-02-22T02:32:09Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > …Rob and Laura had flashbacks to Richie’s delivery while they were living in one house, and in another episode, they brought Richie home from the hospital to the house on Bonnie Meadow Road. I love that you (like me) know which street the Petries lived on. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/64 "2017-02-22T02:58:45Z")
Is there a single episode of McHale’s Navy the would pass today? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/65 "2017-02-22T03:31:54Z")
I find the vast majority of these picks have way overrated present day society’s forward-thinking/sensitivity. ---
**Author:** ![TYphoonSignal8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@TYphoonSignal8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TYphoonSignal8)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/66 "2017-02-22T05:15:45Z")
_Hogan’s Heroes_. Fun and goofy Nazis! Laid back POW camp! 1965. The weirdest thing about it, as often noted, is that all of the German characters were in fact Jews (one of whom had been beaten by the Gestapo) and that the actor playing LeBeau, the token Frenchman, had in fact spent time in a POW camp. ---
**Author:** ![pompeybear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8c91f0/32.png) [@pompeybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pompeybear)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/67 "2017-02-22T05:51:39Z")
> [@TYphoonSignal8](#): > > _Hogan’s Heroes_. Fun and goofy Nazis! Laid back POW camp! 1965. > > The weirdest thing about it, as often noted, is that all of the German characters were in fact Jews (one of whom had been beaten by the Gestapo) and that the actor playing LeBeau, the token Frenchman, had in fact spent time in a POW camp. The real question is … will the world ever be ready for _Heil Honey I’m Home!_ ? ---
**Author:** ![TYphoonSignal8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@TYphoonSignal8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TYphoonSignal8)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/68 "2017-02-22T06:45:26Z")
> [@pompeybear](#): > > The real question is … will the world ever be ready for _Heil Honey I’m Home!_ ? Professor Google says it was British sitcom, cancelled after one show. Sounds ghastly. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/69 "2017-02-22T14:41:52Z")
> [@HipGnosis](#): > > It was sorta done again in 2004; Two and a Half Men; episode “An Old Flame With a New Wick” Charlie met ‘Bill’ at his bar, and it turns out that Bill use to be Jill, who Charlie dated. And then Charlie’s mother Evelyn had a one-night stand with Bill, not knowing he used to be Jill. The scene where Bill goes out on the balcony with Evelyn and explains his situation out of earshot, while Alan, Charlie and Berta watch from inside, is hysterical. It ends up with Evelyn fainting. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/70 "2017-02-22T16:02:18Z")
> [@TYphoonSignal8](#): > > _Hogan’s Heroes_. Fun and goofy Nazis! Laid back POW camp! 1965. > > The weirdest thing about it, as often noted, is that all of the German characters were in fact Jews (one of whom had been beaten by the Gestapo) and that the actor playing LeBeau, the token Frenchman, had in fact spent time in a POW camp. The more you think about it, _Hogan’s Heroes_ is an amazing success. It aired only 20 years after the end of the war. With the exception of children and teens the majority of the audience actually lived during the war, many having fought in it. You would think that would make it unwatchable. Even today, 50 years after the show premiered it’s still very popular. It’s been a solid hour block, weeknights at 10:00 (EST) on METV for years. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/71 "2017-02-22T16:52:06Z")
People at the time didn’t think Hogan’s Heroes would work either. Bob Crane didn’t want to star in the show unless they did a table-read of a script in front of WW2 veterans to get their approval, and even after the show got a favorable response from them there was a letter-writing campaign against the show by some other veterans. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/72 "2017-02-22T17:04:35Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I love that you (like me) know which street the Petries lived on. And I love that **notfrommensa** (like me) has noticed and been bugged by that discrepancy! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/73 "2017-02-22T17:19:37Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > And I love that **notfrommensa** (like me) has noticed and been bugged by that discrepancy! 🙂 That reminds me that when I first drove out to the address to look at the house I was thinking of buying (and I did eventually buy it, living here for 15+ years) and read the street number, #704, I immediately thought, “Hey, that’s the same as the Bunkers, #704 Hauser St.” ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/74 "2017-02-22T17:20:32Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > A couple of mentions of WKRP made me think of a particular episode that would at least draw ire nowadays: > > The ep. has Andy, Mr. Carlson, and Herb going out of town to make a presentation to a prospective client (someone who they want to buy ad time on the station). While at the hotel, Herb encounters a woman who clearly recognizes him – even though he can’t seem to place her. > > Later in the ep., Herb is making out with the woman - who reveals that (in her words): “I used to be a man!” and then it dawns on Herb that this was an old classmate of his whom he knew as a ‘boy.’ > > I am fairly certain that a lot of transgender activists would take exception to the depiction, because 1) the character’s line about “used to be a man” (transgender people assert that they’ve always known they were the ‘opposite’ sex and don’t see it as “used to be a man”) and, more importantly, 2) it perpetuates the nasty stereotype that transgenders are always out to ‘fool’ people – that they hide their “true nature” until after they’ve had sex in order to get one over on the ‘normal’ people. There was a similar Night Court episode where lothario Dan Feilding meets up with a former classmate who has transitioned from male to female. Of course he has issues with it and to add to it, they cast a blond bombshell for the part. Dan overreacts and can’t believe that his best bud is now a woman. At some point, he grabs a friend and says “Can you believe that she used to be a man?” The friend’s answer was “so?” Which is a very nice and progressive point, especially for 80s TV, I think. I believe most of the jokes were at Dan’s expense but I think the actor who played her was a bit of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/75 "2017-02-22T19:38:45Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > . > Then there’s the ep. where Counselor Troi gets impregnated by a miracle child (she was essentially used as an incubator and allowed no consent in the process.) [The Child](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Child_(episode)) I have to defend this episode a little bit even though it’s one of those very clumsy early season episodes. The crew take the impregnation of Troi very seriously and considered it a violation of her rights. There’s also a scene where they discuss if they should abort the pregnancy and Troi objects wanting to keep it. Picard treats Troi’s decision as law and any talk of abortion is stopped then and there. Even Worf, who considered the pregnancy a potential security risk, respects her choice and doesn’t object. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/76 "2017-02-22T20:17:54Z")
The Seinfeld episode “The Puerto Rican Day” is usually omitted from the rotation in reruns, Kramer accidentally lighting then stomping on a Puerto Rican flag. Though actually that was controversial right then. I see Wiki says it ‘started to appear’ in 2002 but I’ve never seen it only read about it, and I’ve seen every other episode. “All in the Family” is a very dated show all around. I don’t see it as that relevant to give shows which were very much of their time and just point out they don’t work anymore. Especially a ‘message’ show like that. But it’s even true of Western TV series’ of the 50’s-60’s. They show them on classic TV channels but nobody would make a Western like that now, clear good and bad guys, the good guys win, in the some of the old ones there are even bad Indians against good white guys. Nobody would present a vision of the Old West like that today, even like the later of those shows (‘Bonanza’ often tried to be PC, for its time, as it progressed into the 60’s). The vision would be like ‘Deadwood’, or they wouldn’t make a Western TV show. And besides ‘Deadwood’ they basically haven’t (or a few lesser shows, ‘Hell on Wheels’ for example, with a basically similar vision). ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/77 "2017-02-22T20:29:58Z")
I saw an episode of “Wanted, Dead or Alive” where Steve McQueen rode up to a house and tied his horse up to a black jockey figure out in front of the house. That immediately brought me up and out of the story. There was an episode of “Daniel Boone” on MeTV the other day that was just outrageously ridiculous in their treatment of Indians. Kentucky Indians living in teepees was just the beginning of it. The whole Indian culture was just laughable. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/78 "2017-02-22T23:34:29Z")
For all this TNG Federation talk about 'how advanced we are now"…you will very shortly see Jack mincing about in the new Will and Grace…and it occured to me today, for the stupid flack Leslie Jones got (of all people) for her acting in Ghostbusters…Ernie Hudson mostly avoided those tropes in the original Ghostbusters. And that was over thirty years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/79 "2017-02-23T02:19:09Z")
An episode from the second season of the original “Hawaii Five-O” called “Bored, She Hung Herself” has never been rebroadcast or released on video apparently because a woman tried it, apparently a form of yoga, and died. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312/80 "2017-02-23T05:42:55Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > This one’s not a TV show, but deserves mentioning anyway. > > Lately I’ve been binge-listening to the archives of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 from the early 80’s, and there was one Long Distance Dedication which seemed so inappropriate, I’m surprised it got airplay even back then. It was from a high school girl who dedicated a song to her “secret admirer”, who for more than a year had been sending her flowers & love letters signed “Sergio”. Eventually, Sergio wrote her a letter saying that he wouldn’t be contacting her anymore, because he was in the military and was being shipped overseas. And he explained the reason why he never made direct contact with her was because it wouldn’t be appropriate, due to the age difference – you see, he was in his mid-twenties, whereas she was only 15. :eek: :eek: :eek: Girls in their mid-teens dating men a decade older was actually not that uncommon when I was that age. No, the families generally didn’t approve, and the relationships almost always ended very badly. However, it generally wasn’t illegal. A decade or two before that, these couples often got married, and not necessarily because she was pregnant. :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/television-episodes-that-wouldn-t-fly-today/780312.md?page=5)