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Flowers of Evil

“Flowers of Evil” is a 1974 episode of the American police procedural television series Police Woman. The episode features Sgt. Suzanne “Pepper” Anderson going undercover at a nursing home to investigate a murder. She uncovers a trio of lesbians who are robbing and murdering their elderly residents. The episode, the 8th of the first season, originally aired on November 8, 1974.

Gay and lesbian organizations protested “Flowers of Evil”, which producers said was based on a real case, for its portrayal of the killers as lesbians and for the stereotypical presentation of lesbianism. The episode aired a month after a similarly controversial episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. on ABC garnered national protests. Mindful of that recent controversy, NBC delayed the episode and ordered some changes but they were not enough to allay gay and lesbian concern over network television’s negative portrayal of homosexuality. After negotiations, NBC agreed not to rerun the episode.