NBC, always so good at making decisions! See if you can follow along in this new, instant classic example: The network had Kathy Griffin guest-starring on Law and Order: SVU, and the episode had already been attracting attention for its same-sex smooch between Griffin and Hargitay. NBC stoked that buzz by releasing an advance clip of the kiss, which snagged its fair share of headlines but also a bit of grumbling about Hargitay's last line in the scene, which felt vaguely homophobic.
So what did the network then do when the episode aired last night?
Instead of cutting the objectionable line (which remains), NBC cut the kiss -- the very thing that the network had been promoting for the last few weeks. In its place is an alternate take where Griffin tries to kiss Hargitay, but no dice. "That's not on the menu!" Next up for NBC: A revised version of tonight's heavily hyped episode of The Office where Pam goes into labor and gives birth to a puff of air and a pack of Listerine White Strips.
The original kiss is here. This is the version that aired last night: