Seven pulls 10-part 'world exclusive' series on Scientology on day it was due to air

Seven has mysteriously spiked a 10-part “world exclusive” series on Scientology on the day it was scheduled to air.

Scientology: Black Ops was described in Seven promotions as an investigation that could have “wide-ranging and serious consequences for the Church of Scientology”.

“This is the Scientology story you’ve been waiting for,” Seven reporter Bryan Seymour says in the trailer, which has now been scrubbed from the Seven website and its social media accounts.

The series was promoted to begin streaming July 14 on 7NEWS.com.au and 7plus.

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Seymour has said publicly he has done 138 stories about Scientology over more than a decade, including reports for Today Tonight. Seven news has been supportive over the years, sources say.

Seymour, who has filmed inside the Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles for an earlier story, told Guardian Australia he couldn’t comment on why the program was not being launched and we should contact Seven.

A spokesman for Seven refused to confirm suggestions the series had been cancelled for legal reasons.

But Seven would not be drawn on why the program had been dumped or why the network had removed the video trailer from Facebook, Twitter and seven.com.au.

“7NEWS has adjusted the scheduling of the series of its own volition,” a spokesman said.

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Guardian Australia understands King of Queens actress Leah Remini, who left the church she was brought up in in 2013 and created the Emmy-award winning A&E series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, was interviewed by Seymour as part of the program.

Earlier this month Seven News promoted the show online and originally scheduled the 10 episodes to be available for streaming on 9 July, but then it was delayed until Tuesday 14 July.