The Simpsons and Brazil
The Simpsons have been on the air for more than 20 years, so maybe it’s not so surprising that of the hundreds of episodes, at least one would inspire a nation to threaten FOX with a lawsuit. In 2002′s “Blame It on Lisa,” the family heads to Rio de Janeiro, where all sorts of Latin American stereotypes play out and the family has a less than idyllic trip. Homer gets kidnapped by a cab driver, and Bart watches a children’s show called “Teleboobies” (that’s before he’s swallowed by a snake, of course). The episode hadn’t even aired abroad before Rio’s tourism board said it would hurt efforts to bring in visitors and threatened legal action.
Said executive producer James Brooks: “We apologize to the lovely city and people of Rio de Janeiro, and if that doesn’t settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to take on the President of Brazil on Fox’s Celebrity Boxing.”
The Boondocks
The trouble began before The Boondocks — now a Peabody Award-winning send-up of American race relations and stereotypes — ever even hit the airwaves. In print, the 300-newspaper comic strip on which the show was based toned down its frequent use of the n-word with profanity symbols. But in July 2005, a few months before the TV version aired on the Cartoon Network, creator Aaron McGruder declared that the show would use no bleeps. “I think it makes the show sincere,” he said. “I understand the word offends a lot of people. But that’s what late-night cable is for.”
