ABC will not air a completed episode of “Black-ish” that includes a family debate about whether NFL players should kneel during the national anthem, according to reports.
The network shelved the sitcom installment indefinitely over the proverbial “creative differences,” Variety noted.
“One of the things that has always made ‘Black-ish’ so special is how it deftly examines delicate social issues in a way that simultaneously entertains and educates,” an ABC spokesperson told the show business publication on Friday. “However, on this episode there were creative differences we were unable to resolve.”
Showrunner Kenya Barris echoed the network’s explanation. “Given our creative differences, neither ABC nor I were happy with the direction of the episode and mutually agreed not to air it,” he said in a statement to the New York Times.
While “Please, Baby, Please,” originally scheduled to air Feb. 27, reportedly touched on other social issues as well, media outlets detailed one part in which Dre (Anthony Anderson) and his oldest son Junior (Marcus Scribner) argue over NFL players protesting during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
For The Win noted how ABC’s connection to the NFL through ESPN might have played a part: “[S]o it makes sense that Disney, which owns both networks, would want to avoid a divisive conversation regarding a product it has poured a lot of money into over the years.”