In what Wolf has labeled a "dangerous precedent," NBC announced it will never again air this week's episode of the Emmy-winning cop-and-lawyers drama, after the network fielded complaints from Hispanic groups who argued that it cast the Latino community in a bad light.
The episode in question, "Sunday in the Park with Jorge," aired Wednesday night and was inspired by the real-life "wildings" that occurred last June in Central Park, following the city's Puerto Rican Day Parade. The episode depicted a parade day rampage and a murder for which a Brazilian kid is convicted.
NBC had been discussing the matter with Hispanic groups, including the National Puerto Rican Coalition, prior to the episode's airing. But the network decided to let it run anyway.
By Thursday, the network apparently changed its mind, releasing a statement apologizing for "offending members of the Latino community" and vowing not to air it again.
"We had an extremely productive meeting with members of the Latino community, and given the context in which the program was aired, we have agreed not to repeat the episode on NBC," the statement reads.
Manuel Mirabal, head of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, told the Associated Press he was pleased with the decision. "We're no longer going to allow networks to shrug off their responsibility to ensure this doesn't happen again," he said.
But Wolf promptly lashed out against the network, claiming NBC bowed to pressure from special interests and disregarded his show's right to free speech.
"The network has caved in to the demands of a special interest group and I am extremely disappointed with this decision, about which I was not consulted, as I think it sets an extremely dangerous precedent."
The Wolf Films/Studios USA series, currently in its 11th season, is the longest-running drama series currently on network television.
This isn't the first time NBC has faced complaints from the Hispanic community. Just three years ago, the network was criticized after an episode of Seinfeld, which featured the accidental burning of a Puerto Rican flag.
It also isn't the first time Wolf has faced the ire of certain groups. Wolf said that over 11 years of producing shows "ripped from the headlines," the series "has offended the sensitivities of a variety of special interest groups, including, but not limited to Jews, Catholics, Protestants, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Aryans, gays and lesbians, Italians, Russians, Greeks, conservatives, liberals, pro-life and pro-choice advocates, and the list goes on ad nauseum."
Wolf failed to mention one more offended party. In 1999, the father of infamous White House intern Monica Lewinsky lashed out at Wolf and his series for an episode in which a character used the phrase "getting a Lewinsky" to describe oral sex.
On that matter, however, NBC chose not to capitulate.
In related PC-policing news, Tom Clancy's latest installment in the Jack Ryan series for Paramount Pictures, The Sum of All Fears, will have different villains than the novel, after the studio received complaints from an Islamic advocacy group.
Director Phil Alden Robinson has apparently decided to turn the bad guys into European Neo-Nazis instead of Muslim terrorists. The film, starring Ben Affleck in the role made famous by Harrison Ford, is set for release this year.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which had been in contact with Paramount over the past two years, released a statement saying it was pleased with the decision.
"Given the existing prejudice against and stereotyping of Islam and Muslims, we believe this film could have had a negative impact on the lives of ordinary American Muslims, particularly children," said chairman Omar Ahmad. "This move should set a precedent for other movie producers."