These are the shows Netflix was asked to take down

The streaming giant adhered to two takedown demands by governments globally last year.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.

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Corinne Reichert

Joan E. Solsman

Feb. 7, 2020 12:09 p.m. PT

2 min read

Netflix has taken down nine shows or movies in response to government demands.

Angela Lang/CNET

Netflix has revealed which shows and movies it has removed after being asked by governments around the world. In its Environmental Social Governance 2019 report, published Friday, the streaming giant said just nine pieces of content have been taken down since it launched services over a decade ago as a result of government demands.

Netflix only got two takedown demands in 2019 to remove content: an episode of comedian Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act that criticized the regime of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia; and The Last Temptation of Christ in Singapore, the 1988 film by Martin Scorcese that is a banned in that country.

Netflix has already removed one title for 2020 -- The Last Hangover was removed in Singapore after a written demand from the Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority.

Other takedowns included:

The Bridge in New Zealand in 2015, which Netflix said is classified as "objectionable" in that country
Full Metal Jacket in Vietnam in 2017
Night of the Living Dead in Germany in 2017, which is a banned film in that country
Cooking on High, The Legend of 420 and Disjointed in Singapore in 2018

Netflix's takedown practices came under the most scrutiny last year, when it pulled the episode of Patriot Act from its service in Saudi Arabia. As well as taking aim at the crown prince, the program was critical of the kingdom's military involvement in Yemen and its role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. After a Saudi regulator complained that the program ran afoul of a cybercrime law, Netflix removed the episode.

Critics of Netflix's Patriot Act decision characterized the move as censorship kowtowing to an oppressive regime, but Netflix's CEO Reed Hastings said the company didn't feel bad about the takedown. "We're not in the news business, we're not trying to do truth-to-power," Hastings said in November. "We're trying to entertain."

Days later, Netfix's head of programming hedged his boss' statements. "All entertainment is truth-to-power," Ted Sarandos said at a Paley Center event. But even as Sarandos noted Hastings may not have used "a great choice of words," he maintained that Netflix needs to navigate local content laws around the globe.

Netflix has pushed back against government takedown action, too. Earlier this year, a Brazilian judge ordered Netflix remove a comedy special -- called The First Temptation of Christ, not to be confused with the Scorcese film with the similar name -- because it depicted Jesus as gay. Netflix appealed the ruling, and Brazil's Supreme Court overturned it, allowing the program to keep streaming.