SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The sitcom “The New Normal” is set to air on NBC stations across the country this fall, but it won’t be on NBC here in Utah because KSL has deemed it inappropriate.“The New Normal,” is a comedy series about a gay couple and the woman they pick to be the surrogate mother of their child. Jeff Simpson, Chief Executive of Bonneville International, the owners of KSL-TV said, "After viewing the pilot episode of 'The New Normal,' we have made the decision to keep it off our fall schedule. For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time."
It’s a decision that many local viewers agree with, but it sits heavy with Weston Clark. Weston Clark and his partner have an adopted two-year-old son.
Clark said, “Families are made up a whole bunch of different ways; two moms, two dads, one mom, one dad, grandmas, grandpas, there’s no family structure better than the other.
Unfortunately that’s not the case in Utah; here gay couples are not allowed to adopt. Weston and his partner had to become residents of California to be allowed to call two-year-old Xander their son. Clark hops that one day soon that will change.
Clark said, “As he gets older I want him to be in a very accepting community that won't give him a hard time about having two dads because that wasn't his decision that was our decision."
Clark is disappointed by KSL’s decision. He hoped that KSL would leave it up to the viewers to decide whether or not they would want to watch a show with a gay couple looking to start a family.
It’s not the first time the KSL affiliate has decline to air content NBC has broadcast. Last year, the station decided not to carry “The Playboy Club” and the same decision was made for the long-running “Saturday Night Live” which airs on ABC’s affiliate CW30.
Representatives from the Utah Pride Center are not surprised by KSL’s decision. Executive Director Valerie Larabee told ABC 4 News, “We’re disappointed in that decision because we feel like families that are represented by that show are loving and committed families and their children are happy and it is the new normal.”
The Utah Pride Center is considering a sit down meeting with the owners of KSL, but they don’t expect it will result in a change of heart.
