ABC has released its trailer for a new sitcom coming to their fall line-up. The Real O'Neals is a semi-autobiographical comedy inspired by gay activist Dan Savage who is serving as executive producer of the show. Never shy, intentionally controversial Savage is perhaps best known for his wildly successful campaign, It Gets Better which seeks to reach out to our gay youth who are struggling with their identity, sometimes under heartbreaking circumstances. The premise of the show is loosely based on Savage's own experience growing up in a Catholic family who makes the decision to come out of the closet.
A fresh take on a seemingly perfect Catholic family whose lives take an unexpected turn when surprising truths are revealed. Instead of ruining their family, the honesty triggers a new, messier chapter where everyone stops pretending to be perfect and actually starts being real.
As you can imagine, it has all the usual frothing bigots frothing their bigotry and trying to get ABC to cancel the project before it even airs. Writing for
Barbwire the King of Bigots Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council is livid and won't stand for it.
Despite massive outcry — thousands of phone calls, emails, and petition signers — Disney’s ABC is taking its LGBT activism to new lows with plans to bring the controversial Christian-basher to life in a sitcom called “The Real O’Neals.”
Already, a coalition of organizations have sent a letter to ABC, asking the network to reconsider giving Savage another platform to be an apostle of division and hate.
The campaign is gaining enough ground that even Sean Hannity profiled the controversy on his show last night with MRC President Brent Bozell. After showing some of Savage’s foul comments, Hannity was amazed ABC could even loosely base a sitcom on Dan’s life since, according to Bozell, “you have to bleep out everything he says.”
Oh, well then. If rational and prudent Sean Hannity and the ever-sensible Brent Bozell are against ABC airing the devil's own sitcom, it doesn't stand a chance of success with a less open-minded America.
For someone who decries perceived censorship when it comes to all things Jesus to demand ABC censor a comedy that hasn't even aired yet, Tony Perkins is at his hypocritical best concerning The Real O'Neals. Bless his heart.