With millions of episodes of our favourite shows airing throughout the year, it's easy to forget some episodes were pulled from rotation after airing.
So even though we might settle down to watch reruns of The Office, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or even The X-Files, we would still be robbed of an episode or two.
There are myriad reasons why episodes might be pulled, whether it's a misjudged exploration of a controversial subject, or events that couldn't have been foreseen at the time of the original airing, making one feel out of touch.
Scroll down to discover the lost TV episodes that fans aren't able to enjoy anymore…
1/8
Earshot was yanked from its initial schedule
Earshot - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
While Earshot is now included in reruns of the beloved 90s show, the episode was postponed and temporarily pulled from rotations when it first aired back in 1999. In the episode, Buffy develops telepathy and after reading the minds of her fellow students, she comes to the conclusion that someone is planning to harm them.
The episode was originally scheduled to air in April 1999, but it was postponed following the Columbine High School Massacre, in which two students murdered 12 of their classmates alongside a teacher; a further victim died of her injuries in 2025. A scene involving Jonathan, played by Danny Strong, loading a rifle was one of the key factors. The episode eventually aired in September 1999.
2/8
© Alamy Stock PhotoViewer discretion is now advised with the episode
Home - The X-Files
The X-Files is no stranger to sci-fi horror and gore, but the fourth season episode Home went too far for some, and it was stopped from being aired for a full three years following its initial broadcast in 1996. The episode sees Mulder and Scully travel to the rural town of Home, Pennsylvania, following the discovery of a baby with severe physical defects. While there, they meet the Peacock family, who have been inbreeding for decades.
The graphic content, including the live burial of a newborn child, attracted plenty of controversy, and when the episode initially aired, it became the only episode of the series to be given a TV-MA rating. The episode was taken off-air for three years following its broadcast, only returning to rotation on Halloween 1999. Despite its controversy, many name the episode among the show's best.
3/8
The episode was pulled for the use of blackface
Believe in the Stars - 30 Rock
When Believe in the Stars first aired back in 2008, it was one of the most positively reviewed episodes of 30 Rock. The episode deals with a clash between Tracy (Tracy Morgan) and Jenna (Jane Krakowski) over the royalties of Tracy's adult game.
During the episode, the argument between Tracy and Jenna leads to a social experiment as to whether Tracy has it worse as a Black man or Jenna as a white woman. Jenna later appears during the episode in blackface and male drag, with the former later forcing the episode off the air.
4/8
© Radio Times via Getty ImagesFans still love the controversial episode
The Germans - Fawlty Towers
The Germans continues to be regarded as one of Fawlty Towers' best episodes, but the episode is now considered a little offensive. The episode sees Basil (John Cleese) attempting to run the hotel on his own while his wife is in hospital, but when several German guests arrive, he is unable to hide his animosity towards them.
This wasn't the only racial element of the episode, with Major Gowen using other racial slurs during an earlier part of the episode. Show creator John Cleese has defended the episode, saying it was lampooning people with those prejudices. However, in 2013, the slurs were edited out, and the episode was later dropped in its entirety following the murder of George Floyd. It has since been reinstated.
5/8
© NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal viaRainn recently said the sitcom couldn't be made today
Dwight Christmas - The Office
Blackface also led to the removal of Dwight Christmas, a beloved episode of The Office. In the Christmas special, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) attempts to get his colleagues to celebrate a traditional Schrute Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas, with plenty of Dutch references.
However, one controversial aspect brought over was Dwight dressing as Belsnickel and forcing factory worker Nate to appear in blackface as his assistant, Zwarte Piet. Although the moment is flagged as controversial in the episode itself, following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the episode was pulled from Netflix. It was later reinstated, although the scene was entirely removed.
6/8
The episode caused hundreds of medical incidents
Electric Warrior Porygon - Pokémon
While several episodes of Pokémon have been yanked off-air, the most famous is Electric Warrior Porygon, which has only aired once in history, with the episode only ever being broadcast in Japan. In the episode, Ash Ketchum and his friends travel inside a Poké Ball machine to discover what is going wrong with it. As the episode reaches its climax, Pikachu destroys a couple of missiles, resulting in a large strobe effect.
The strobe effect, which featured blues and reds flashing in quick succession, led to close to 700 people being transported to hospital with symptoms including blurred vision, seizures, nausea and even unconsciousness. Following the incident, Pokémon went on a four-month hiatus before any further episodes were aired, and while Electric Warrior Porygon has never been aired again, the Pokémon Porygon and its subsequent evolutions have never had a major part in the anime since.
7/8
The role was one of George Takei's first
The Encounter - The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone was known for its spooky undertones, and in 1964, it aired an episode where a sword seemingly had an impact on the conversation between Fenton and Arthur, who mysteriously get locked in an attic together.
Due to racial undertones and conspiracy theories that Asian-Americans colluded with the Japanese during the attack on Pearl Harbour, which led to the internment of hundreds, the episode ended up getting pulled following its broadcast. It would remain off-air for another 52 years before it started airing again in 2016.
8/8
The BBC stopped the episode airing for decades
Although The Empath aired without any issues in the United States, the episode took nearly 30 years to make it over to British shores. In the episode, members of Star Fleet land on a doomed planet, but when they encounter the locals, they're forced into a string of torturous experiments.
The BBC had received plenty of complaints over episodes of Star Trek, due to what audiences at the time viewed as graphic content. As a result, they decided to pull the episode from the broadcast round, with it not airing in the UK until 1994.
