As your parents so often reminded you, there’s a time for laughing about the dangers of nuclear power, and unfortunately right now isn’t it: In light of the ongoing disasters in Japan, several European countries have begun pulling episodes of The Simpsons that make reference to meltdowns, radiation poisoning, and any other sort of general power plant-related ineptitude that may be seen as offensive in the current context. Executive producer Al Jean tells Entertainment Weekly that he understands the move, likening it to the quiet disappearing of “The City Of New York Vs. Homer Simpson” and its Twin Towers-related jokes after 9/11, while Fox’s syndication division has reportedly given U.S. stations a list of episodes in which nuclear disaster-related jokes appear so they can make their own decisions as to whether to air them. Fortunately, Homer hasn’t really gone to work in like 12 seasons or something, so as long as they stick to recent years they should be fine.
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