Why CBS Banned the Western-Themed Episode of This Sci-Fi Series

While banning television episodes is a rare occurrence, there are many complex reasons why networks and censors might work to shield viewers from the imagination of showrunners. Between content issues or cultural and political sensitivities, the subject can sometimes induce inflammatory conversations that don’t align with political ambitions, like the British sci-fi series, The Prisoner, which upset U.S. censors in the late ’60s. The first season of the ITV series premiered in the United States in 1968 – a year after its debut in the United Kingdom. But one episode, titled most pleasantly “Living in Harmony,” did not air in the U.S. due to its contentious nature.