Ads for The Man in the High Castle, which featured Nazi iconography and symbols of imperial Japan, have been pulled from the subways in New York City.

‘Man In The High Castle’ Ads

The Man in the High Castle ads, which offered a glimpse of the dystopian world featured in the show in which the Allied powers lose World War II, covered the 42nd Street subway shuttle. On one side, the seats were dotted with Nazi Reichsadler eagles, while the other side featured the Japanese rising sun. Though the ads were scheduled to remain on display until Dec. 14, they’ve been taken down due to complaints that reached New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Earlier this week, Manhattan commuters, as well as the Anti-Defamation League, called for the MTA to take down the ad signage, which many found offensive. However, the MTA initially stated that its guidelines did not allow them to reject the ads. “The MTA is a government agency and can’t accept or reject ads based on how we feel about them,” spokesman Kevin Ortiz said in a statement. “We have to follow the standards approved by our board.”

The MTA later released a statement informing riders that on Cuomo’s insistence, the ads that covered the subway car were being removed. “The shuttle train with the wrapped ad for the show was pulled from service after this evening’s rush hour, and the ad will be removed. ‎Please note that this afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the head of the MTA and asked him to ensure the ads came down,” the MTA said in a statement.

The Man in the High Tower‘s creator, Frank Spotnitz, was not behind the PR campaign that led to the theatrical subway ads. He acknowledged that advertising a show like his is difficult, but distanced himself from how Amazon chose to go about it.

“It’s very difficult with a show with subject matter like this to market it tastefully, so I understand they’re walking a very difficult line,” Spotnitz told Entertainment Weekly. “If they had asked me, I would have strongly advised them not to do it.”

After the ads were pulled, Amazon also released a statement, which made the conversation about its border-pushing content rather than its controversial advertising.

“Amazon Studios creates high-quality, provocative programming that spurs conversation. The Man in the High Castle, based on an acclaimed novel, explores the impact to our freedoms if we had lost World War II,” reads the statement. “Like Transparent and the movie Chi-Raq, stories that society cares about often touch on important, thought-provoking topics. We will continue to bring this kind of storytelling to our customers.”

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