CBS All Access Censors ‘The Good Fight’ Musical Short About Chinese Censorship

In a somewhat ironic move, CBS All Access has censored a musical short about Chinese censorship that was scheduled to air in last week’s episode of The Good Fight. According to a new report from The New Yorker‘s Emily Nussbaum, CBS opted to cut the roughly 90-second segment in order to avoid angering Chinese leadership, which likely would not have taken kindly to the cartoon, titled “Banned in China.” Instead of airing the animated short, the network and showrunners Robert and Michelle King agreed upon what CBS reportedly described as a “creative solution”: a black screen that reads, “CBS has censored this content.” The placard lasts for about eight seconds, and afterwards, The Good Fight continues its story — one that was critical of China to begin with.

The Good Fight‘s most recent episode, “The One Where Kurt Saves Diane,” returns to a Season 2 storyline about ChumHum, a fictional analog of Google. The episode follows the drama’s main attorneys as they battle with ChumHum’s executives over the issue of censorship. “It’s the Chinese market. You need to toe the line or you get frozen out of the market,” says one ChumHum boss. The episode isn’t shy about its criticism of China: in a later scene, a Uighur Muslim activist testifies that the country’s leadership has oppressed her people and sent them to “internment camps in Xinjiang.”

But according to The New Yorker, the “Banned in China” cartoon took things a step further. Singer Jonathan Coulton said that the short focuses on film censorship and the many banned images that Chinese activists employ as a means of speaking out against the government. “‘The cartoon was about American entertainment and companies censoring themselves in order to appease the Chinese market,'” Michelle King told Nussbaum.

It seems that King’s statement was correct: two weeks before the episode aired, the network told the showrunners to cut the segment, despite the fact that it had already been heavily vetted and approved by CBS executives. The Kings reportedly pushed back and threatened to quit, but after some back-and-forth, they agreed to air the black placard (the showrunners also agreed to stay on as writers).

King declined to comment on CBS’ motive for cutting the short, but Colton told Nussbaum that “the network’s standards-and-practices division had expressed concern that the sequence would endanger CBS executives on the ground in China.” Regardless of the motive, King said she was “‘very upset and surprised'” by CBS’ sudden demand. The episode’s writer, Laura Marks, felt similarly. “‘I mean, on the face, it’s so absurd!'” she said. “‘They censored a song about censorship. I know it should be funny, but it’s not.'”

The Good Fight‘s most recent episode, “The One Where Kurt Saves Diane,” is available to stream on CBS All Access. The censored segment begins at the 25:55 mark.

Watch The Good Fight Season 3 Episode 8 "The One Where Kurt Saves Diane" on CBS All Access