New York NBC Station Apologizes for Bad Timing of “Chicago Fire” Episode

The local NBC station said it regretted the timing Wednesday night, when it rebroadcast an episode that portrayed two firefighters “pinned down by gunfire while trying to help the victim of a gang shooting.”

An NBC station in upstate New York expressed regret on Thursday for televising a repeat of “Chicago Fire,” a network drama about firefighters, that bore resemblances to a real-life Christmas Eve shooting there.

Fans of the show criticized NBC for rerunning the episode because it, in the words of the network’s description, portrayed two firefighters “pinned down by gunfire while trying to help the victim of a gang shooting.” In Webster, N.Y., on Monday, two firefighters were killed and two others were injured after a man lured them into a trap by setting a fire. The man later killed himself.

The “Chicago Fire” episode was first shown in November and was chosen more than a week in advance for rebroadcast on Wednesday. But when it was running, complaints about “poor taste” and “bad form” started to appear on the show’s Facebook page. One viewer asked, “Why would you air this episode tonight, after everything that happened in recent days?”

Apparently the NBC station that serves Webster, WHEC, heard from some viewers directly. Derek Dalton, the station’s vice president and general manager, released a statement on Thursday that read:

Last night, NBC, our network, ran an episode of Chicago Fire that many in our community felt was insensitive in light of the Christmas Eve tragedy.

We understand and regret the timing of this episode. By no means did we, or NBC, intend any disrespect to the families or our community affected by the recent events in Webster.

All of us in the WHEC-TV family have a personal connection to our community and our firefighters. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and we will continue to cover this story with compassion and professionalism.

An NBC spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Television networks tend to avoid running entertainment that might remind viewers of very recent tragedies. After the killings at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., earlier this month, Syfy replaced a planned episode of the show “Haven” and Fox replaced episodes of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” because they contained violent scenes that could have drawn complaints.