NBC removes 'under God' from 'Allegiance' commercial

(Photo: NBC)

A trailer for the upcoming NBC series "Allegiance" featured a voiceover of several people reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, but the words "under God" were missing.  

The dramatic series will premiere on February 5, but some are calling for a boycott due to the omission. 

According to iMDB "Allegiance" is about a "rookie CIA analyst" who "doesn't know that members of his family are part of a Russian sleeper cell."

The series stars Gavin Stenhouse ("Iconicles") as the decorated military hero-turned-analyst, and Scott Cohen ("The Carrie Diaries") and Hope Davis ("The Newsroom") play his parents. 

Marine Corps veteran Mike Davis was offended by NBC's choice to censor "under God" in promotion of the series. 

"I will not watch this show, for their disrespect and making this a Politically Correct issue," he wrote on Military.com . "God is NEVER something for political correctness.

"This is nothing short of an attack on religion," he continued. "It is a form of propagandizing perpetuated by NBC. Boycotting is a very non-violent way of protesting a stupid, politically correct, action.

"I will ALWAYS say the pledge my way (or actually the right way) and will ALWAYS consider those who would disrespect God AND subject me to that disrespect as propaganda.

"If NBC wants to disrespect God, let them keep it to themself. If they want to profit from that disrespect, count me out."

NBC also came under fire for omitting "under God" and "indivisible" from the Pledge during their coverage of the US Open in 2011. After a social media outcry and call for boycott, the network issued an apology. 

"Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out," announcer Dan Hicks said on-air. "It was not done to upset anyone, and we'd like to apologise to those of you who were offended by it."

NBC has not commented on the current controversy.