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Sing soft kitty to me. Number 10. Prank gone wrong. Punked. Honestly, this MTV hidden camera gag by Ashton Kutcher was downright cruel. Okay, here's what's going to happen. We're going to do something. A celebrity's going to get pissed and then we're going to laugh at them. It became famous for staging fake emergencies, celebrity scandals or accidents to catch stars off guard, then revealing it was all a prank.
But before that format, the show was originally called Harassment, and it targeted regular people. In 2002, however, one prank crossed the line. If you're telling me you can't be punked, you're begging me to do it. Producers staged a dead body in a one room suite at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, shocking real guests who found it.
To make matters worse, hotel security allegedly wouldn't let the terrified couple leave. Even after the stunt was revealed, the traumatized couple filed for a $10 million lawsuit. The episode never aired, and how it all ended remains a bit murky. Is this from the lawyers? Number nine, The Final Game: The Queen's Gambit. This hit miniseries follows Beth Harmon, a fictional chess prodigy who rises from an orphanage to conquer the male-dominated world of chess.
I'm afraid. Then don't go. I have to go. If I don't, there's nothing for me to do. While the show received accolades, it also sparked a real life controversy. In order to elevate Beth's legacy, the show took a jab at real life female chess legend Nona Gaprind Deshilli. In the show's last episode, the commentator claims that Gaprindes Villi never faced men, which is simply not true.
There's Nona Gaprindes, but she's the female world champion and has never faced men. Not only did she compete with men, she's also Georgian, not Russian. Offended by this, Gaprindes filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix, claiming the show undermined her achievements.
The case was later settled privately in 2022. I may have just played the best chess player of my life. You will get used to it. Thank you. Number eight, The Dark Path: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Netflix's version of Sabrina's Adventures is downright dark. I'm not an evil person, father. I'm glad to hear it. Neither am I. Neither are your aunt.
Instead of the bubbly teenage magic, the show dives into witchcraft, satanic lore, and occult rituals. Back in 2018, chilling adventures of Sabrina landed in hot water with a real life satanic organization, the Satanic Temple. What was the issue? The academy was built according to the principles of sacred geometry.
Each room is a perfectly proportioned pentagon that locks with the one next to it. No one knows how many pentagons are exactly. Some say an infinite number. The show prominently features a statue of Baffomet, which the organization claimed looked eerily similar to their own copyrighted version. They also took issue with how the show portrayed the statue in a sinister and evil context, which they claimed to fame their value.
So, they filed a $50 million lawsuit against Netflix and Warner Brothers. The case ended up not going to trial as the parties reached a settlement which was not disclosed to the public. Thank you, Nicholas. Really? Number seven, Soft Kitty, the Big Bang Theory. For a character as eccentric as Sheldon Cooper, it comes as no surprise that he needs a specific song to soo him when he's sick or stressed.
Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Keep rubbing little fur. Avid fans of Sheldon probably know we're talking about the soft kitty song. While it was popularized by Amy, Penny, Sheldon, and Mary, the lyrics are actually based off of the poem Warm Kitty by Edith Nulan. These lyrics had been published decades earlier in a school song book.
That's nice. Now, in German. However, in 2015, Nuland's daughters sued the creators of the show and CBS for using it without permission. Unfortunately, the case was dismissed since Nuland's children couldn't prove they had valid copyright of their mother's content. Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Number six, Nude Backside, NYPD Blue.
Back in the '90s, network TV had stricter standards around adult content. You got to know this is a big step, Martinez. Yeah, I mean, but shows like NYPD Blue broke the rules by airing scenes with strong language and even nudity on a major network. Naturally, it stirred a lot of controversy. One scene in particular pushed the boundaries even further.
It's probably an unforgettable one for those who have seen it. Is everything all right? Yeah. I'm just checking to see if there's any long-term effects to walking in and seeing me naked this morning. No. Yes. It shows a woman's bare backside as she prepares to shower. After viewers complained, the Federal Communications Commission got involved and fined ABC $1.4 million.
After years of legal battles, a court finally threw out the fine in 2011, ruling that the FCC's indecency policy was too vague. Number five, Shaving the Truth: Inventing Anna. Inspired by a true story, Inventing Anna chronicles the rise and fall of Anna Sorcin, a con artist who scammed friends, hotels, and banks. Anything wrong? I didn't know what the prosecutor is saying I did.
But how accurate is the series really? Well, it appears some details were totally made up, and the portrayal of Rachel Williams may be one of them. She's depicted as shallow, greedy, and opportunistic, and the real Williams wasn't having it. If there is a way that true crime stories can be told, seen, um, discussed, even dramatized responsibly, this just isn't it.
In 2022, she filed a defamation suit against Netflix for casting her in such a negative light. Williams decision to sell her story rights to HBO instead of Netflix may have played a role in this, or so she believes. Imagine using someone's real name and details without doing the work to portray them truthfully. That isn't fair.
She is someone who doesn't deserve our our celebration. and she's someone who's committed crimes and I do think it's important to have a moral compass. Number four, the Hannah Baker inspiration. 13 reasons why sometimes what we put out into the world through powerful platforms like films and television can have serious consequences.
Hey, it's Hannah. Hannah Baker. [Music] That's right. Don't adjust your whatever device you're hearing this on. Why I do the things? It's me live and in stereo. The depiction of Hannah Baker taking her own life on this show is one prominent example. While the show opened up discussions about mental health, it soon became a magnet for controversy.
In 2017, a young girl took her own life after watching the show. And she wasn't the only one. And for a minute, just a minute, I felt like maybe I could beat this. The berieved father filed a class action lawsuit against Netflix the following year. However, the judge later ruled in favor of Netflix.
Still, this is a powerful reminder that content doesn't only entertain. Sometimes it influences actions and thoughts. Well, how are you a problem to them? I don't know. Number three, framing a killer, making a murderer. We all know documentaries don't always present the full truth, even if they claim to be a true story. Just a little bit more waiting.
I waited long enough. a little bit more ain't going to bother me. That's precisely the issue Andrew Coburn raised in his lawsuit against Netflix over the hit docue series Making a Murderer. Who was Cobburn? He was a Manito County Sheriff's Department officer featured in the Steven Avery case. Gone over exhibit 138.
Yes, sir. According to him, the docue series made it look like he was involved in framing Avery. So, Coburn filed a lawsuit against Netflix for omitting key facts and portraying him in a dishonest manner. However, the court dismissed the case, saying that although the show took a clear narrative stance, it didn't amount to defamation.
The truth is, the entire case is a tricky one. That's a significant event, right? That's what's stood out in my mind. Number two, negative portrayal, When They See Us. This powerful Netflix series tells the true story of the Central Park 5, a group of boys who were wrongfully convicted. What were you doing in the park last night? I'm not Nothing.
I wasn't doing anything. Did you see some bad guys out there? Felicity Huffman plays Linda Fairstein, then head of Manhattan Sex Crime Unit. She's depicted as a driving force behind the prosecution, often aggressively pushing for conviction even with no evidence. After the show shook the world, Fairstein's image took a serious hit.
Now, the hashtag cancel Linda is trending on social media, and a change.org petition has gotten thousands of signatures calling for bookstores to remove Fairsteeen's mystery books from storeshelves. She was dropped by her publishers and even removed from several boards. In response, she filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix for how she was portrayed in the series.
While parts of the lawsuits were allowed to proceed, Fairstein ultimately reached an agreement with Netflix a week before the case could go to trial. But the damage had already been done. They were in the park beating people up the same night that she's getting beat up. And you're telling me they had nothing to do with it? They said it themselves.
They told us what happened. Number one, The Mistress. The Jerry Springer Show. Messy doesn't even begin to describe this '90s trash TV show. It thrived on shock values, surprise reveals, and all-out brawls. Sometimes the drama spilled into real life with tragic consequences. In 2000, Nancy Campbell Panetsz appeared on an episode titled Secret Mistresses Confronted alongside her ex-husband Ralph Pennitz and his girlfriend Eleanor.
Nancy had been allegedly misled by the producers into thinking she was there for reconciliation, only for her to be humiliated. But the worst came after. Hours after the episode aired, Nancy was found dead and Ralph would be convicted of her murder. NY's sons filed a civil lawsuit against the show, claiming it created a volatile environment that led to her death.
The case was eventually dropped without a financial settlement. What other TV scenes have led to huge lawsuits? Let us know in the comments. What did these animals do between here and here? Are there other victims still in the park?
