Netflix has removed an episode of political thriller series “Designated Survivor” in Turkey following a demand from the country’s censor board, the Deadline news website reported.
The episode, number seven from season two (when the show was still made by ABC), depicts a fictitious Turkish president, played by Troy Caylak, as its antagonist. Kiefer Sutherland leads the show as US President Tom Kirkman.
“Following a demand from the Turkish regulator, we have removed one episode of Designated Survivor from Netflix in Turkey only, to comply with local law,” the streamer said in a statement.
The episode was referring to an ongoing crackdown on the Gülen movement, which is accused of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt. The movement strongly denies any involvement.
The episode remains on the service in all other territories. The show, produced by the Mark Gordon Company and Kinberg Genre, ran on ABC for two seasons, with Netflix handling international. After being cancelled by the US network, eOne and Netflix commissioned a third series, cancelling the show after it aired in summer 2019.
Back in February, Netflix revealed the nine occasions it has removed titles from its service in compliance with government demands, including dropping episode one of “Patriot Act” with Hasan Minhaj in Saudi Arabia, and removing both “The Last Temptation Of Christ” and “The Last Hangover” in Singapore.