Something's Up There
Encyclopedia
"Something's Up There" is the seventh episode of the first season of the situation comedy
Back to You
. It aired on November 14, 2007. This episode is also known for its controversial content.
Chuck insists on buying Gracie's birthday cake, and Montana offers to give Gracie and her friends makeovers. Meanwhile, it's Gary's anniversary, but the seemingly simple task of getting home is made nearly impossible by the WURG team.
Also, the WURG team all end up in Kelly's house cornering a fierce raccoon in Kelly's living room.
As a result of this, the raccoon inadvertently sets Kelly's sofa alight.
aired this episode which contained a controversial Polish
slur. The slur involved Marsh trying to convince the show's lone Polish character, Gary, to go bowling after work by saying: "Come on, it's in your blood, like kielbasa
and collaborating with the Nazis." This Anti-Polonist comment offended many Polish people by disparaging the three million Poles who suffered in concentration camps and died at the hands of German Nazis. Many feel it ignores the millions of Poles who fought the Nazis for six years during World War II
.
Fox later apologized on November 20, 2007. They vowed never to air the line of dialog again in repeats and/or syndicated broadcasts. Fox stated that, "The line was delivered by a character known for being ignorant, clueless and for saying outlandish things. Allowing the line to remain in the show, however, demonstrated poor judgment, and we apologize to anyone who was offended."
Furthermore, some critics and many viewers noticed that a large part of the plot was taken from a popular story from the radio program This American Life
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Back to You
Back to You
Back to You is an American situation comedy series, which aired on Fox from September 19, 2007 to May 14, 2008. The creators and executive producers were Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, and the director was James Burrows. The series starred Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as squabbling...
. It aired on November 14, 2007. This episode is also known for its controversial content.
Plot
It's Gracie's birthday and everything goes wrong.Chuck insists on buying Gracie's birthday cake, and Montana offers to give Gracie and her friends makeovers. Meanwhile, it's Gary's anniversary, but the seemingly simple task of getting home is made nearly impossible by the WURG team.
Also, the WURG team all end up in Kelly's house cornering a fierce raccoon in Kelly's living room.
As a result of this, the raccoon inadvertently sets Kelly's sofa alight.
Controversies
On November 14, 2007, FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
aired this episode which contained a controversial Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
slur. The slur involved Marsh trying to convince the show's lone Polish character, Gary, to go bowling after work by saying: "Come on, it's in your blood, like kielbasa
Kielbasa
Kielbasa, kołbasa, kobasa, kovbasa, kobasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicizations for a type of Eastern European sausage. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc...
and collaborating with the Nazis." This Anti-Polonist comment offended many Polish people by disparaging the three million Poles who suffered in concentration camps and died at the hands of German Nazis. Many feel it ignores the millions of Poles who fought the Nazis for six years during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Fox later apologized on November 20, 2007. They vowed never to air the line of dialog again in repeats and/or syndicated broadcasts. Fox stated that, "The line was delivered by a character known for being ignorant, clueless and for saying outlandish things. Allowing the line to remain in the show, however, demonstrated poor judgment, and we apologize to anyone who was offended."
Furthermore, some critics and many viewers noticed that a large part of the plot was taken from a popular story from the radio program This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
.