CBS self-sensors TV show segment on Chinese censorship
- 5 years ago
NEW YORK — CBS's 'The Good Wife' spinoff show, 'The Good Fight', had to cut out a 90-second song called 'Banned in China' where they made fun of crazy Chinese censorship policies, according to The New Yorker.
The Good Fight is a legal drama show airs on CBS's All Access streaming channel covering conundrums in American politics and society under the Trump administration.
The show is known to be heavily satirical, and every now and then episodes will cut to a musical cartoon where they sing about anything from Russian troll farms to Melania Trump.
This time, however, the show decided to pull back and show a black screen with the words 'CBS HAS CENSORED THIS CONTENT' instead of a song because China.
According to The New Yorker, the song that had to be censored was called 'Banned in China' and for good reason.
Jonathan Coulton, the singer behind all the controversial tunes, told The New Yorker about all the references the song made at Chinese censorship, and boy does it seem like they went all in.
For the bridge of the song, Coulton said that there were references to Winnie-the-Pooh — President Xi's doppelganger— , an empty chair in honor of late Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, Tiananmen square, Chinese re-education camp — the list goes on.
At one point Coulton says a part of the animation shows Xi dressed as Winnie-the-Pooh shaking his money maker.
So what was the point of the video? Well, although Chinese censorship requirements are lengthy and ridiculous, American corporations cannot ignore a market as big as China's, so they all end up kowtowing.
In a statement, CBS All Access clarified why the short was cut out saying, quote, 'We had concerns with some subject matter in the episode's animated short. This is the creative solution that we agreed upon with the producers.' end quote.
We guess this is PR talk for "We didn't want our show to get canceled in China 'cause money."
Their fear is real though, their show, The Good Wife, was banned from China after an episode featured a Chinese dissident character being tortured. The Good Fight hasn't been banned. Yet.
Coulton told the New York Times, "The song ends with me saying, 'I hope this song is banned in China.' Now it'll never get the chance.". We are just as disappointed as you are, Coulton.
The Good Fight is a legal drama show airs on CBS's All Access streaming channel covering conundrums in American politics and society under the Trump administration.
The show is known to be heavily satirical, and every now and then episodes will cut to a musical cartoon where they sing about anything from Russian troll farms to Melania Trump.
This time, however, the show decided to pull back and show a black screen with the words 'CBS HAS CENSORED THIS CONTENT' instead of a song because China.
According to The New Yorker, the song that had to be censored was called 'Banned in China' and for good reason.
Jonathan Coulton, the singer behind all the controversial tunes, told The New Yorker about all the references the song made at Chinese censorship, and boy does it seem like they went all in.
For the bridge of the song, Coulton said that there were references to Winnie-the-Pooh — President Xi's doppelganger— , an empty chair in honor of late Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, Tiananmen square, Chinese re-education camp — the list goes on.
At one point Coulton says a part of the animation shows Xi dressed as Winnie-the-Pooh shaking his money maker.
So what was the point of the video? Well, although Chinese censorship requirements are lengthy and ridiculous, American corporations cannot ignore a market as big as China's, so they all end up kowtowing.
In a statement, CBS All Access clarified why the short was cut out saying, quote, 'We had concerns with some subject matter in the episode's animated short. This is the creative solution that we agreed upon with the producers.' end quote.
We guess this is PR talk for "We didn't want our show to get canceled in China 'cause money."
Their fear is real though, their show, The Good Wife, was banned from China after an episode featured a Chinese dissident character being tortured. The Good Fight hasn't been banned. Yet.
Coulton told the New York Times, "The song ends with me saying, 'I hope this song is banned in China.' Now it'll never get the chance.". We are just as disappointed as you are, Coulton.