Reality show pulled after concerns

ABC has pulled its upcoming reality show Welcome To The Neighbourhood after interest groups voiced concerns.

The show, which was supposed to debut on July 10, challenged seven families to convince residents in a conservative white neighbourhood near Austin, Texas, that they were worthy to move in. However, the twist was that the families included a gay couple with an adopted son, pagans and members of various ethnic groups.

Various groups were afraid of the effect that the challenge may have on both existing and prospective residents, says the Hollywood Reporter. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation pointed out that the gay couple would be at risk of agression from the residents whilst the Family Research Council was worried that the conservative home-owners may be ridiculed by the contestant families for their Christia beliefs.

A statement from ABC ran: "Our intention with Welcome to the Neighbourhood was to show the transformative process that takes place when people are forced to confront preconceived notions of what makes a good neighbour, and we believe the series delivers exactly that.

"However, the fact that true change only happens over time made the episodic nature of this series challenging, and given the sensitivity of the subject matter in early episodes, we have decided not to air the series at this time."