First the outcry over Janet Jackson’s bared breast during CBS’s Super Bowl telecast compelled producers to trim brief nudity from shows such as “ER,” “NYPD Blue” and “Without a Trace.” Now, even cartoon characters are being forced to cover up.
Viacom-owned UPN has ordered the producers of “Game Over,” prime-time’s first computer-generated animated series, to delete nudity and salty language from the pilot episode airing Wednesday, including one two-second shot in which a female character’s buttocks are clearly visible, according to a source close to the production.
Executives also want to cut a line in which one character uses a curse word to disparage another.
The edict has angered the producers, who are said to have argued that the material deemed objectionable has been in the episode for months and was included in review tapes sent to critics recently.
But network executives apparently will not budge, saying that the Jackson incident has created a climate of heightened sensitivity toward sex and foul language, even in cartoons.
The decision has forced the producers to scramble to re-edit the episode and possibly recall actor Artie Lange to rerecord some dialogue before Wednesday’s debut.
UPN also is closely monitoring future episodes for questionable content, according to the source close to the show.
UPN declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, the studio behind the series. The series’ creator, former “Simpsons” writer David Sacks, could not be reached for comment.
The imbroglio shows how quickly the environment has changed for producers who dare to put edgy or off-color material in their shows.
“Game Over,” of which UPN ordered six episodes this season, is being closely watched in Hollywood because computer-generated films such as “Finding Nemo” and “Toy Story” now dominate feature animation.
Tune in
“Game Over,” which premieres at 7 p.m. Wednesday on UPN, is the story of what happens to a family of video game characters when the game is over. The clan includes Rip (Patrick Warburton), the dad who drives in a racing game and can never win; Raquel (Lucy Liu), the mom who’s always getting called away on some Lara Croft-style anthropological treasure hunt, and an angst-ridden teenage daughter (Rachel Dratch) and meathead teenage son (E.G. Daily).
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
