Mad Men will not be following in the footsteps of a number of other TV shows and will instead be keeping an episode of the drama which features blackface available for streaming and syndication.
The past few weeks have seen episodes of series including Scrubs, 30 Rock and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia pulled from viewing as they depict white characters in blackface.
But with AMC period drama Mad Men, which is set in the 1960s, returning to streaming in the US on Amazon's IMDb TV and also being shown on AMC later in July, production company Lionsgate Television has announced that it is not removing or editing an episode that includes a character in blackface.
Related: Mad Men's Jon Hamm reveals why there won't be a spin-off
Mad Men season 3's third episode 'My Old Kentucky Home' features white character Roger Sterling (John Slattery) wearing blackface while he serenades Jane Sterling (Peyton List) with the song 'My Old Kentucky Home' at his Derby party, as well as commenting that he has put "shoe polish" on his face and that Jane though it was "a scream".
The episode then shows most of the characters who are watching the performance laughing, although Don Draper (Jon Hamm) appears to be uncomfortable and asks his wife Betty Draper (January Jones) if they can leave.
Lionsgate has released a statement via the Los Angeles Times explaining the decision to leave the scene uncut, saying that producers want to expose "the injustices and inequities within our society".
"This episode contains disturbing images related to race in America. One of the characters is shown in blackface as part of an episode that shows how commonplace racism was in America in 1963," the statement reads.
"In its reliance on historical authenticity, the series producers are committed to exposing the injustices and inequities within our society that continue to this day so we can examine even the most painful parts of our history in order to reflect on who we are today and who we want to become. We are therefore presenting the original episode in its entirety."
The statement will also appear for viewers as a warning before the episode begins.
Along with several TV shows pulling blackface episodes in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, a number of white actors have also recently quit their voice roles as Black or mixed-race characters, including Family Guy's Mike Henry and Central Park's Kristen Bell.
For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
