‘Saturday Night Live China’ Pulled From The Air

China has had its own version of the long-running NBC stalwart Saturday Night Live since June, giving its citizens some satirical, skit-based comedy. However, a recent government crackdown has been focused on removing programs that are deemed too negative, with Saturday Night Live China being among them.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CHINA PULLED FROM THE AIR

Appearing on the Youku streaming service, China’s iteration of the program is hosted by Yue Yunpeng and Chen He, a comedy duo. However, the country’s content regulators are aiming to provide teenagers with shows that reflect “positive energy” during the summer, not programing that’s “low taste and harmful.” Saturday Night Live China was regarded as being in the latter category.

50 CELEBRITIES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

A Youku spokeswoman told reporters, “[The show] might be online again, be patient.” It’s currently unknown who exactly issued the order to remove the comedy show. However, on its blog, SNL China promised its fans that it is “working hard to become better.” It then implored its viewers “to have a big smile for when [they] see each other next time.”

Satirical comedies don’t necessarily translate to overseas territories, and SNL China wasn’t the first show of its kind to be pulled this year. Kevin Tsar and Elephant Dee, Taiwanese talk show hosts, had their program delisted previously. Political topics, something SNL thrives on, can be seen as improper in China, likely explaining why the show’s Chinese counterpart may suffer a short life.