Contentious Family Guy episode axed

A Family Guy episode has been pulled from broadcast because it revolves around abortion.

The Fox network had previously given creator Seth MacFarlane and his team the go-ahead to make the contentious episode – but has since decided it does not want to air it.

The episode, Partial Terms of Endearment, had been penciled in as the tenth episode in series eight, which starts in the US in late September.

Speaking at the Comic-Con convention, MacFarlane told fans: ‘20th Century Fox ... allowed us to produce this episode and then said, “You know what? We're scared.”’

However, the banned scenes could appear on a future DVD release, with the prospect of never-before-seen footage likely to boost sales  – and MacFarlane’s bank balance. In May, he signed a $100-million deal to keep Family Guy and American Dad on the air through to 2012.

Fox has released a statement saying: ‘Fox will not air the Partial Terms of Endearment episode of Family Guy, but we fully support the producers' right to make the episode and distribute it in whatever way they want.’

Published: 28 Jul 2009