It’s tough to examine the past through the lens of 21st-century morality. What would’ve been deemed as progressive 30 years ago seems blatantly racist, sexist, and toxic by today’s standards.
By no means is this list meant to be viewed as a witch hunt . Rather, it should stand as an indication of how far we’ve progressed as a society. With that being said, here are 15 toxic TV moments that wouldn’t make it to the screen today.
“The One With Chandler’s Dad” in ‘Friends’.
The idea of a straight woman playing a transgender character wouldn’t just turn heads nowadays — it would spin them right off their bevel. Not to mention the fact that the only reason Chandler doesn’t have a relationship with his father is that he’s embarrassed by his dad’s gender identity.
The Siamese cats that ran the laundromat in ‘Chip N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers’.
This thinly-veiled anti-Asian sentiment was all too common in cartoons, right up until the late ’90s. The cat’s garbled English is positively cringe-worthy, especially when you judge it by today’s standards.
When Zack claimed to be of Indigenous descent in ‘Saved By The Bell’.
First of all, Zack was completely lying. Secondly, he donned a full Indigenous Headdress, complete with war paint. If that isn’t cultural appropriation, then I don’t know what is.
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Jay Pritchett constantly making fun of Columbians in ‘Modern Family’.
There are almost too many examples to keep track of. But without a doubt, some of Jay’s most racist utterances occur during the episode in which he refuses to accept any of Manny and Gloria’s Columbian Christmas traditions.
“The Bicycle Man” from ‘Diff’rent Strokes’.
In a nutshell, “The Bicycle Man” stands as a cautionary tale for parents and children to learn how to spot predators. However, watching an elderly old man reading pornographic magazines, and pouring wine for underage children is a bit much.
The “Diversity Day” episode from ‘The Office’.
Satire and racial humor are things of the past. Therefore, Michael would never be able to get away with taping race cards to peoples’ foreheads, demanding that the Dunder Mifflin employees only interact with one another in a stereotypically racist fashion.
The racial and sexist stereotypes that plagued ‘The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’.
I was obsessed with this show as a kid, but as an adult — my eyes are now wide open. To begin with, the Yellow Ranger was Asian; the Black Ranger was Black. The Pink Ranger was a stereotypical cheerleader and the most powerful Ranger of all was the White Ranger.
Every single episode of ‘Cops’.
For years, Cops was widely regarded to be one of the most racist and prejudicial shows on television. In the wake of George Floyd ‘s death, the long-running series was canceled and subsequently removed from syndication.
When Kramer accidentally lights the Puerto Rican flag on fire in ‘Seinfeld’.
After lighting a cigar with a sparkler, Kramer throws it away and inadvertently lights a nearby flag on fire during the Peurto Rican Parade in New York City. It wasn’t OK then, and it isn’t OK now.
Poking fun at molestation in ‘Friends’.
When Joey sends Chandler to see Frank, his family tailor, he points out how Frank did his first suit for him when he was only 15-years-old. When Chandler returns later on and explains that he was groped, Joey proclaims “That’s how they do pants!”
Larry David’s unapologetically racist behavior throughout ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.
Should we make mention of the fact that Larry nods every time he sees a Black person, so as to alert them that he’s “one of the good ones?” Or how about the time when he erroneously presumed that a young Black man standing outside a restaurant was the valet?
Anti-Asian hate in ‘2 Broke Girls’.
After Caroline Channing points out that her name is spelled incorrectly on her name tag, Max pulls her aside and says “You can’t tell an Asian he made a mistake! He’ll go in the back and throw himself on a sword!”
The “One Beer” episode from ‘Tiny Toon Adventures’.
If you didn’t grow up in the ’90s, you probably aren’t familiar with the soft Looney Tunes reboot that was Tiny Toon Adventures . In one memorable episode, Buster takes a beer from the fridge. Later on, he, Plucky, and Hampton steal a police car and die.
“I’m Rick James, bitch!” from ‘Chapelle’s Show’.
In the early days, the bulk of Chapelle’s humor revolved around race. His Rick James Skit is undoubtedly iconic, but it’s highly doubtful that he’d be able to find a production company willing to get behind it today.
Ross’ blatant homophobia over hiring a male nanny in ‘Friends’.
After Sandy expels his many qualifications as to why he should become Emma’s nanny, Ross looks him dead in the face, with a look of disgust and incredulity, and asks “Are you gay?”
