Worst Edited For TV Films

[Shadow Master]

I guess fair warning in advance for some profanity and violence in these clips if such content isn't allowable? Just a heads up this may not be NSFW or around minors.

The original RoboCop comes to mind right away as one such example. The changes made are absolutely hilarious, besides toning down or removing the more graphic moments, how some of the profane lines are altered are absolutely hilarious. It becomes unintentionally comedic for all the wrong reasons. It has to be seen and heard to be believed.

"Your client's a crumbbag! You're a crumbbag! And crumbbags see the judge on Monday morning!"

"Why me!"

"Blow this bloodsucker's head off!"

"Your company built the freaky thing, now I've got to deal with it?! I don't have time for this baloney!"

RoboCop edited for TV - YouTube

Scarface is another. The fact it's even a thought to try editing it to make it suitable for TV airings is itself hilarious but with how so much of the profanity is edited is downright hysterical. "This town is like one big chicken just waiting to be plucked."

Scarface TV version - Funny as hell - YouTube

[frogmort]

YouTube

[ImBlu_DaBaDee]

Yippie ki yay, Mister Falcon

[mar3o]

Yeah, Die Hard 2 is a classic example. Who's Mister Falcon, exactly? Lol.

[starsteam]

Wouldn't call it the worst but some of the dialog changes are pretty goofy

Tremors Television Edits - YouTube

[steel_breeze]

I'm gonna get flamed for this 'cuz I know it's beloved by some, but for me... the 1981 Halloween II takes the cake. So wildly different and at times absurd that as a kid in the 80's, watching Halloween II on Channel 11 in the New York / New Jersey area, my friends and I used to call it "Halloween 11".

[KManX89]

It don’t get much more unintentionally comedic than this:

Snakes on a Plane - “Monkey-fighting snakes on this Monday to Friday plane� TV version scene (1080p) - YouTube

[ghostsofjoy]

The worst and the best:

youtube.com/watch?v=6YMInph0Dyk

[Kamdan]

There should be a separate thread about certain edited for TV movies that translated well. For years, I had only seen the TV version of National Lampoon’s Vacation and was suprised to learn when I tried to rent it at the video store that it was R-rated.

[WonkaBedknobs83]

I've seen that version. It aired that way on CBS in 1985 and I managed to get a Beta tape of that version somehow. The pimp in St. Louis who says "f--- your mama" when Clark asks him directions now says "what do I look like, Christopher Columbo?" And "science teacher" replaces "daddy" in the seesaw scene at Cousin Eddie's house with Jane Krakowski. It also still had "I'm So Excited" in its proper place which begs the question of how it could be licensed for every medium except home video.

The idea that Peter Falk discovered America is actually pretty funny.

[Pondosinatra]

I was watching a 'things you don't know about The Big Lebowski' show on YouTube...

Apparently instead of censoring swear words (which happen basically every few seconds) for the TV cut, the Coen Brothers had the cast just improvise stupid nonsense when they redid the lines.

So worst edited - but on purpose

[lesco]

I think it was REPO MAN where Alex Cox said he quite liked the nonsensical edits, such as 'melon farmer' instead of 'mother f-----"

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

I'm gonna get flamed for this 'cuz I know it's beloved by some, but for me... the 1981 Halloween II takes the cake. So wildly different and at times absurd that as a kid in the 80's, watching Halloween II on Channel 11 in the New York / New Jersey area, my friends and I used to call it "Halloween 11".

I love the TV cut of Halloween II. It's pretty wacky with some of the wild editing choices. It actually plays like a totally different version of the film at times, at one point even creating a new chase sequence with the existing material moved around. I do enjoy the TV cut additional scenes. They help clear up why the hospital suddenly has no lights later in the film.

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by mar3o

I love the TV cut of Halloween II. It's pretty wacky with some of the wild editing choices. It actually plays like a totally different version of the film at times, at one point even creating a new chase sequence with the existing material moved around. I do enjoy the TV cut additional scenes. They help clear up why the hospital suddenly has no lights later in the film.

I get that; it has its appeal. But as a 14-year-old just wanting to watch the movie again and knowing nothing at the time about the existence of alternate cuts, it pretty much appalled me, lol. Literally laughed out loud when the guy slipping on the blood is transformed into a reaction to the blast wave at the end.

[Kamdan]

Originally Posted by WonkaBedknobs83

I've seen that version. It aired that way on CBS in 1985 and I managed to get a Beta tape of that version somehow. The pimp in St. Louis who says "f--- your mama" when Clark asks him directions now says "what do I look like, Christopher Columbo?" And "science teacher" replaces "daddy" in the seesaw scene at Cousin Eddie's house with Jane Krakowski. It also still had "I'm So Excited" in its proper place which begs the question of how it could be licensed for every medium except home video.

The idea that Peter Falk discovered America is actually pretty funny.

I think Vacation worked well because they had provided TV friendly versions of the scenes instead of awkwardly dubbing over the language with other actors or just muting it out. It’s a shame this is a large art because films like Funny People were improved by not relying on the f-word. The 40-Year-Old Virgin even had alternate takes, but sadly Bridemaids just simply muted out all of the bad language.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

I get that; it has its appeal. But as a 14-year-old just wanting to watch the movie again and knowing nothing at the time about the existence of alternate cuts, it pretty much appalled me, lol. Literally laughed out loud when the guy slipping on the blood is transformed into a reaction to the blast wave at the end.

Yeah, the editing choices were actually shocking. I didn't see the theatrical version until many years later so the first few years I saw the film it was that TV version. I was totally shocked at how different the film was re-arranged for TV. Quite the curiosity. I'll always have a soft spot for it.

The Thing (1982) is another one that had some interesting choices made for TV editing.

[Zivouhr]

While the Pan/Scan Edited for TV days are mostly over if not mistaken, I'd say some of the absolute worst "Edited for TV" movies would be the ones that have to make decisions for "Pan and Scan" when the widescreen movie aspect ratio has two characters on either side and not centered. Often, the Pan/Scan editor will just leave the focus on the center of the screen...

I've seen 1970's/80's martial arts films shown on TV that are panned and scanned so horrendously, that the character is speaking but the editor refuses to pan to the left where the character's face is, so we're only looking at edge of their face if at all, or blank space. It can be hilarious to see, and when I was a kid watching these poorly pan/scanned edited for TV movies, didn't know they were edited for TV and thought the director (cinematographer) was just really bad with aiming the camera. Some of the VHS or early DVDs of Martial Arts movies meant for widescreen also suffered from really bad "Edited for TV" pan/scans. Entertaining but unfortunate for the preservation of the original format and film's intent.

[Metalbeast]

Worst edited version is the one for Jagged Edge that airs sometimes on the Sony Movie Channel. How they cut out the profanity in it is by removing entire lines of dialogue instead of just muting the profanities. Entire scenes (like the one in the office with Peter Coyote and Glenn Close and most of the end) are removed just for having some cussing.

[Samus Aran]

Pulp Fiction. Gun goes off, red splatter on the rear windshield, cut to black, and with no emotion Travolta says, "Oh, man, I just shot Marvin in the face." And then they're in Tarantino's house.

[WonkaBedknobs83]

Originally Posted by Samus Aran

Pulp Fiction. Gun goes off, red splatter on the rear windshield, cut to black, and with no emotion Travolta says, "Oh, man, I just shot Marvin in the face." And then they're in Tarantino's house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdy0HeZtlqw