FROM gory to gross, TV series are no stranger to pushing the boundaries with death, sex and violence.
The White Lotus producer, David Bernard, has defended the hit HBO show after viewers claimed it had gone “too far”; with latest taboo incest scenes.
In the controversial series, which documents the life of the ultra-rich in Thailand, brothers Saxon and Lochlan Ratliff shared an intense kiss before engaging in a sex act during a threesome scene.
Fans have hit back at the incest plot in the show, saying it was disgusting and even actor Patrick Schwarzenegger said he felt unwell when filming the scene.
David claims the shocking scenes are part of the “larger thematic idea”; that the show’s creator, Mike White, is trying to get across.
This is not the first storyline to leave audiences gobsmacked, with many past shows leaving hundreds of viewers voicing complaints.
We take a look at shocking TV moments that fans accused of taking things to the next level and left people questioning if they ever should have aired at all.
Deep-fried death
The deep-fat fryer death shown on 2002 Drama series, Spooks, was said to have “traumatised the nation”.
In the final episode of the series, Helen Flynn, an MI5 agent, was uncovered by right-wing extremists.
Her arm was dunked into boiling oil, and then her head too, right before she was shot.
The moment received a record number of complaints, with more than 250 viewers voicing their distress to the BBC.
The Broadcasting Standards Authority said the scene was “sufficiently violent and disturbing to require a specific, clear and unambiguous warning to this effect, which had not been achieved”;.
The show’s director said at the time the producers wanted a horrible end for Helen’s character and “thought of other versions, one of which was fire”;.
Horse assault
BBC crime drama, The Jetty left viewers feeling sickened by a “grotesque”; and “troubling’”; scene in the first episode of the 2024 series.
The scene included a graphic portrayal of the main character, Amy sexually assaulting her horse– which was meant to demonstrate Amy’s distorted sexual boundaries.
The broadcastersaid the scene was “intended to be shocking” after multiple fans complained that they simply had to turn the episode off saying it “turned their stomach”; and felt unnecessary.
Farm horror
Earlier this year, the distressing opening scene of ITV’sdrama series, Out There, left fans shocked when the main character uncovered a gruesome scene in his farm barn.
The scene consisted of images of the barn covered in blood and a man left alone with a shotgun.
Viewers voiced their distress on Twitter, complaining: “I know they advertised this as ‘gritty' but this is depressing.”;
Many felt the plot was already too dark to continue watching and agreed on X that they thought “this might be too stressful”;.
Wedding massacre
Season eight of Game of Thrones received a record number of complaints from fans.
Some viewers criticised the show saying “the story fell apart, the characters became caricatures of themselves” and others complained that the season “took a dark turn”.
But the most controversial and gruesome moment of the entire run was The Red Wedding in season three – which consisted of a brutal massacre at a wedding feast.
Robb Stark, his mother Catelyn, and his pregnant wife are killed, along with many of their forces, in a graphic bloodbath.
After airing in 2013, fans still say it is one of the most disturbing episodes ever in TV history.
Teen sex row
The British hit show Skins was so popular MTV launched a short-lived US version which incorporated similar tales of teenagers having sex and taking drugs.
Unfortunately, the series went a step too far and a Parents Television Council spokeswoman said: “What they show reduces teenage behaviour to a narcissistic quest for sex and drugs, and I think there’s more to teens than that.”
The Council later accused MTV of distributing child pornography after a 17-year-old actor and character are shown walking around naked.
The shocking scenes led to major brands such as Subway, Foot Locker, Taco Bell and L’Oreal pulling sponsorships with the program.
The British show was also no stranger to backlash, with viewers left startled by an incest subplot between lead characters Effie and Tony in season one of the show.
Unhealthy Obsession
Netflix series Obsession, in 2023, sparked controversy after the erotic thriller aired scenes which left viewers deeply uncomfortable.
One “pillow” scene caused multiple fans to comment their disgusted opinions on X and said it even “left them traumatised”.
The show features surgeon William Farrow who is obsessed with his son’s new girlfriend Anna.
In the awful scene William finds a pillow which belongs to Anna and acts inappropriately – even biting the object to smell as much of Anna's scent as possible.
Merciless musician
The psychological horror-thriller Hannibal is known for murders that will keep you up at night.
In series one, a cello instructor murders a trombonist and transforms the dead body into a human cello.
The show is insanely gory, with viewers commenting that the cello episode was deeply twisted.
The New Yorker even commented that they stopped watching after this terrifying scene aired.
It didn't come as a surprise when the following season took a ‘death slot’ on the TV timetable, late on a Friday night, as it certainly wasn't suitable for kids.
Teeth swap
Girls5eva was said to have delivered “2024 TV’s Most Horrifying Image”; after Mega pop star Gray faked his own death by removing all of his teeth and replacing them with the teeth of a dead fox.
The close up shots of the star’s teeth in the remainder of the episode left viewers shocked at the pure creativity of the horrific scene.
The hit show explores how much of ourselves we would give up to be famous and the consequences that follow, focusing on the 90s pop music industry specifically.
Axed over complaints
Some historic TV shows were axed completely after reportedly being so terrifying that they had to be dropped.
Late Night Horror was axed after six episodes in 1986 and it is rumoured to have contained scenes which viewers complained were too scary, including the first time that blood was shown in fill colour red on television.
The show has now completed vanished from TV history and left behind a frenzy of conspiracy theories- questioning just how horrific were the episodes.
It was reported that the show contained “explicit, macabre content”; and was used by Flying Ezeday Times as an example of links between between violent TV and crime.
Gruesome backlash
The ITV series Trigger Point sparked backlash from viewers for resembling a horror film rather than a thriller.
Actress Vicky McClure led the show as a police bomb disposal officer and in one episode she finds a woman tied up with a bomb strapped around her neck.
Later a countdown starts and the woman is killed.
Viewers complained the scene was “a bit much” for a Sunday night show and didn’t expect such a gruesome and “graphic”; watch.
