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The cast of 'The Good Fight', from left to right: Cush Jumbo, Christine Baranski and Rose Leslie. Photo: CBS

US drama The Good Fight tried to mock Chinese state censorship. It got censored by its studio, CBS

  • Show’s creators threatened to quit, eventually replacing section with eight-second place-holder that read ‘CBS has censored this content’
  • Segment involved China’s 2014 ban on ‘The Good Wife’ and US studios removing content from international releases to avoid upsetting Chinese censors.

Popular legal drama The Good Fight has sparked some off-screen drama of its own, after a segment of the show that referenced censorship in China was cut when it aired in the US last week.

During the episode, which was broadcast on May 2, place-holding text that read “CBS has censored this content” was shown on screen in place of a short animated segment that satirically explained Chinese state censorship.

The show’s creators threatened to quit over the removal of the section, and now a British broadcaster has found itself caught up the self-censorship row as it prepares to air the episode in the UK.

The show is a spin-off of The Good Wife, and is known for its ripped-from-the-headline narratives, which are often inspired by contemporary real-life figures, including US President Donald Trump.

Set in a predominantly African-American law firm in New York, The Good Fight has been described as “entertainment for the resistance” by The New York Times, which said it is “the only TV show that reflects what life under Trump feels like for many of us who abhor him”.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the segment began with a reference to China’s decision to ban The Good Wife from video providers including Sohu TV, iQiyi and Youku in 2014. It also alluded to how American studios remove content from international releases to avoid upsetting Chinese censors.

“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,” representatives for CBS All Access said in a statement.

The show’s creators, Robert and Michelle King, originally threatened to quit, according to The New Yorker’s TV critic Emily Nussbaum, who first wrote about the row, after CBS wanted the animated segment to be removed.

The Kings initially planned to keep the placard on screen for the full 90-second segment but eventually opted to shorten it to eight seconds, with many viewers believing the decision was a satirical one.

“It did not occur to me that people would think that it was a joke – until, literally, we saw our family this weekend and people didn’t realise it had happened,” Michelle King told Nussbaum.

The animated segments have become a recurrent feature of the drama’s third season and act as short explainers on topics including Russian troll farms and the logistics of impeachment proceedings.

“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,” representatives for CBS All Access said in a statement.

British broadcaster Channel 4 is in discussions with the network about why the section was removed.

“We are seeking discussions with CBS to understand why they’ve taken this decision,” a spokesperson said, adding that because The Good Fight is an acquisition for the broadcaster – rather than an original show created in-house – the channel has no control over the version of the episode they are sent.

The episode, titled “The One Where Kurt Saves Diane”, is still expected to be broadcast on May 16 at 9pm on More4.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: TV scene about Chinese censorship cut
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