TV networks pull shows, air tributes in the wake of Newtown school shooting

Yahoo TV

The heartbreaking shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. sent TV networks scrambling to pull shows, air disclaimers before others, and pay tribute to the fallen victims of the tragedy.

The Discovery Channel canceled "American Guns," which features a family that manufactures firearms. The cancellation was not linked directly to the Newtown shootings; in a statement, the network only said, "'American Guns' concluded earlier this year. Discovery Channel chose not to renew the series and has no plans to air repeats of the show."

TLC delayed the Dec. 27 airing of "Best Funeral Ever," choosing to push back the special about themed funerals to Jan. 6.

Syfy pulled a new episode of "Haven" that depicted violence taking place at a high school. It has been rescheduled for Jan. 17.

[Related: TV celebs tweet reactions to Connecticut school shooting]

Networks didn't just shelve possibly insensitive programming, but also added touching tributes to the shows that went on.

The day after the massacre, "Saturday Night Live" opened on an unusually somber note. Instead of the cold open sketch, the New York City Children's Chorus sang a poignant and moving rendition of "Silent Night."

Similarly, on last night's episode of "The Voice," judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Cee Lo Green joined the contestants to sing the haunting song "Hallelujah." They held up placards with the names of each victim.

Other notable changes made to shows after the shooting:

  • Showtime dramas "Homeland" and "Dexter" each ran warnings about violence before their season finales Sunday night

  • Also on Sunday, Fox pulled new episodes of "American Dad" and "Family Guy" to avoid insensitivities

  • NBC replaced a Blake Shelton holiday special that featured a reindeer being killed

  • A moment of silence was observed before Sunday's NFL games

  • The live reunion show of "Survivor: Philippines" did the same

  • Daytime talk shows canceled regularly scheduled lineups to focus on the Newtown tragedy