US version of BBC hit Coupling dropped by NBC stations

NEW YORK - It was a hit with advertisers, but the NBC version of racy BBC sitcom 'Coupling' has been dropped by two local television stations in the US before the first episode has even been shown.

The sexual content of trailers for the show, due to be aired on Thursday, has shocked viewers in Indiana and Utah, with one station fuming that the sexual jokes "push the envelope well beyond the boundaries of our community's standards".

The two stations to drop the show -- WNDU in South Bend, Indiana and KSL in Salt Lake City, Utah -- are both affiliated to the national network NBC, which remade the series in the hope that it would recreate the success of hits such as 'Friends' and 'Sex and the City'.

For advertisers, it represented a strong pull with agencies snapping up spots for around $200,000 for 30 seconds during the show, making it the sixth most expensive programme of this autumn's primetime offering.

However, station bosses at WNDU and KSL were bombarded with complaints from viewers after the broadcast of trailers for the series, which showed two characters attempting to have sex in a restaurant toilet.

WNDU boss Jim Behling complained that the first episode is "little more than a succession of crude jokes which, when taken in total, simply push the envelope well beyond the boundaries of our community's standards".

South Bend is well-known for its sizable Catholic community, while Utah is the home state of the majority of US Mormons.

The criticism is unlikely to worry NBC or advertisers too much. The show, like many primetime big network shows, is aimed at upscale metropolitan audiences, which are scarce in Indiana and Utah.

Ben Silverman, executive producer of the show, said that the show's makers were "trying to make it as provocative as we can within intelligent boundaries".

He added: "We absolutely want people to go 'wow' a little bit, but only in an adult, sophisticated way."

In a statement, NBC said: "The show was reviewed by NBC standards and practices and was considered appropriate for broadcast on the network. It is unfortunate that not everyone will have the opportunity to make their own viewing decisions."

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