Even animated series aren’t immune to real-world sensitivities. In response to the recent aviation tragedies in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim have temporarily removed multiple episodes featuring plane-related content from their broadcast schedules.
The programming adjustment affects six episodes across five different series, ranging from family entertainment to adult animation. As reported by CN News/Schedules on Jan.31, the affected content will remain off-air for at least two weeks “due to depicting, or joking about, plane crashes.”
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The decision follows two devastating incidents: a Jan. 29 collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane in Washington D.C. that claimed 67 lives, including all 64 people aboard the American Eagle jet and three military personnel, and a Jan. 31 medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that resulted in seven fatalities, including six passengers and one person on the ground, while leaving at least 19 people injured.
Comicbook details the specific episodes removed from the rotation, including The Amazing World of Gumball’s “The Saint,” which depicts characters jumping from a plane before it crashes into a building during a charity event, and Courage The Cowardly Dog’s “Scuba-Scuba Doo,” featuring an action sequence where an old warplane is blown up by a torpedo before being used as a submarine-style weapon.
Two Family Guy episodes were also pulled: “Boy (Dog) Meets Girl (Dog)” containing a 9/11 reference, and “Yug Ylimaf” showing a plane crash into a town. Additionally, Robot Chicken’s “Happy Russian Deathdog Dolloween 2 U,” which includes a scene where plane parts crash through a ceiling during a Halloween party and recreates a moment from Donnie Darko with a character dressed as Frank The Rabbit being struck by an airplane engine, and The Eric Andre Show’s “Hannibal Quits,” featuring a segment where Andre pretends to fall from a plane in front of confused civilians, were removed from scheduling.
This isn’t the first time Warner Bros.’ networks have adjusted programming in response to real-world events. In 2013, Adult Swim publicly apologized for airing a Family Guy episode about tornados on the same day a deadly twister struck Moore, Oklahoma, stating on their X account, “Our apologies to Oklahoma for the tornado reference in Family Guy. The episode was scheduled weeks ago.”
Similar programming changes have occurred at other television networks: ABC delayed a bomb-related Castle episode following the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, and SpongeBob SquarePants’ “Kwarantined Krab,” which featured an outbreak of ‘clam flu’ at the Krusty Krab, was removed from streaming for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The current scheduling changes reflect an industry-wide practice of sensitivity toward the recent tragedies. While Warner Bros. hasn’t issued an official statement regarding the removals, authorities continue investigating both aviation incidents, with causes yet to be determined. No timeline has been announced for when the affected episodes might return to regular rotation.