Simpsons nuclear disaster episodes taken off air amidst Japan crisis
They may be America’s nuclear family but episodes of the Simpsons, which dared to poke fun at nuclear disasters has proven toxic to regulators in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Offending episodes will be banned or censored in the territories as regulators scour the long running series for offensive gags and lines.
Austria’s ORF network is leading the way in this having already banned eight episodes, including one in which depicted Marie and Pierre Curie dying of radiation poisoning.
Many of the red flagged clips depict Homer Simpson neglecting to perform his duties properly as a safety manager within Springfield’s own nuclear power plant.
Over the years this has seen nuclear waste dumped in a children’s playground, numerous near meltdowns and plutonium used as a paperweight.
A spokesman for German broadcaster Pro7 said: “We are checking all the episodes and we won't show any suspect ones, but we won't cut any scenes,” adding: “Of course we can't completely change the entire content.”