TV Episodes Banned after Backlash: "The Puerto Rican Day"

[JamesG]

Seinfeld: The Puerto Rican Day


In May 1998, NBC aired the two-part finale of one of its most beloved and critically acclaimed shows: "Seinfeld". The episode was watched by 76 million people, though it's now considered one of the worst TV finales ever. (We ranked it as the sixth worst.)

Not long before that, fans got to watch Season 9, Episode 20, "The Puerto Rican Day," which didn't fare much better and is among the most controversial episodes of the series.



"The Puerto Rican Day" follows the gang as they attempt to beat traffic from a New York Mets game, but ultimately get blocked on the way home by a Puerto Rican Day parade.

At one point, Kramer (Michael Richards) throws a sparkler and accidentally lights a Puerto Rican flag on fire, attempting to put out the fire by stomping on it. A mob of angry Puerto Ricans begins chasing Kramer, eventually pushing Jerry's (Jerry Seinfeld) empty car down a stairwell.

"It's like this every day in Puerto Rico," Kramer remarks.



The episode sparked criticism before it even aired. Manuel Mirabal, the president of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, was concerned when he heard the name of the episode and urged NBC to hire consultants to weed out any offensive content.

After it aired in May 1998, the controversy heated up. Mirabal called the episode an "unconscionable insult," while Puerto Rican Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer argued it "crossed the line between humor and bigotry."

NBC apologized and pulled the episode from syndication (but never conceded that it's offensive), though it's now available to stream on Netflix.

https://www.tvline.com/2024168/tv-ep...fter-backlash/