Folks tuning into the latest episode of The Good Fight were likely taken aback when, midway through “The One Where Kurt Saves Diane,” the screen went black and the following message appeared: “CBS HAS CENSORED THIS CONTENT.” Those same folks were likely questioning whether the alert — which arrived just as the episode was teeing up its weekly Schoolhouse Rock!-esque animated short — was a specious diversion or a legit slap at CBS All Access for literally censoring its content.
Turns out, it was the latter.
A spokesperson for CBS All Access confirms to TVLine that it “had concerns with some subject matter in the episode’s animated short,” adding that the message viewers saw represented “the creative solution that we agreed upon” with series creators Robert and Michelle King.
So what was the concerning subject matter? Based on the scene that led directly into the ultimately-excised short, the Kings presumably were going to clue viewers in on the morally flexible lengths some U.S. companies will go to in order to break into the lucrative Chinese market (which tied into the episode’s B-story involving the fictional search engine behemoth ChumHum).
The fourth wall-shattering ding against its own company serves to underscore just how unpredictably playful, boundary-shattering and, in this case, fearless, The Good Fight has become in its third season (in addition to the animated shorts, recent episodes have featured characters talking directly into the camera, a cameo by FLOTUS “Melania Trump” and a Downton Abbey crossover). It also highlights just how much clout the Kings have at CBS.
Two more episodes remain in The Good Fight‘s third season; it has already been renewed for Season 4.
