South Park has recently come under fire in China after a recent episode in Season 23 lampooned the East Asian nation for its human rights abuses and American businesses catering to it for additional revenue.
The episode, cheekily titled "Band in China," prompted the Chinese government to remove the long-running Comedy Central series from all online forums, streaming sites and social media shortly after its premiere. In response, the animated series' creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have issued a joint mock apology -- including a dig at Chinese President Xi Jinping and his sensitivity towards being compared physically to Winnie the Pooh -- while providing a link to Western audiences to stream the episode in question for free online.
"Band in China"Â sees Stan form a heavy metal band to channel his frustrations after his family moves to a farm. However, when Stan's father Randy is imprisoned in China, the band turns its message against the country while bashing the way Disney, the NBA and Google overlook Chinese human rights concerns to do business there.
Following several boys growing up in the eponymous Colorado mountain town while satirizing everything from social trends to current pop culture, South Park will debut its 300th episode this week.
Starring Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.