Why the ‘Mr. Robot’ finale was yanked

Viewers who tuned into USA Wednesday night to watch the season finale of “Mr. Robot” were surprised to discover the network was airing a repeat rather than the action-packed episode they were expecting.

USA decided to delay the finale for a week, until Sept. 2, following the tragic on-air killings of a Virginia reporter and cameraman Wednesday morning.

A plot point in the finale of “Robot” echoed those shootings a bit too closely, and so USA pushed the show’s finale to next week rather than appear insensitive by airing the show Wednesday night, just hours after Alison Parker and Adam Ward were killed by a disgruntled former employee of their Roanoke, Virginia, station.

“The previously filmed season finale of ‘Mr. Robot’ contains a graphic scene similar in nature to today’s tragic events in Virginia. Out of respect to the victims, their families and colleagues, and our viewers, we are postponing tonight’s episode. Our thoughts go out to all those affected during this difficult time,” said USA in a statement.

It’s common for networks to delay programs that hit a bit too close to home with current events.

For instance, after the Columbine school shooting in 1999, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” third-season finale, which was focused on a school shooting, was postponed for two months by the WB.

And CBS pulled the third-season finale of “Mike & Molly,” which dealt with a tornado, after a deadly tornado ripped through Oklahoma in May of 2013.

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