#Come to jesus moment series
#Come to jesus moment tv

“In light of what has surfaced, our programming team has told the producers at Marblemedia that for CBC to stay on as a partner, we need to be assured BYUtv’s values regarding diversity and inclusion are aligned with ours,” Thompson said. If it’s not for all of us, it’s for none of us.”ĬBC’s head of public affairs Chuck Thompson told NOW that the possibility that BYUtv engaged in exclusionary practices had just come to the network’s attention. “When you then hear that there are policies that are informing the production of that show that are also exclusive and exclusionary, and that are leaving queer people out of it, it’s incredibly infuriating. “I feel very disappointed by the situation,” Larocque said, adding that he wanted to celebrate The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker, which saw underrepresented BIPOC writers making positive changes around racial representation. Tiny Pretty Things showrunner Michael MacLennan told NOW he is concerned that BYUtv benefits from Canadian tax credits while adhering to unwritten policies that reinforce discriminatory attitudes.īoth producers are concerned current anti-discrimination policies at the CBC and Canadian Media Fund (CMF) are ineffective against broadcasters that have “unwritten” exclusionary rules. “There are no policies that would exclude the network from including characters who identify as LGBTQ+, and BYUtv is exploring ways to do so,” a network rep added.įollowing Farrell and his team’s initial interview with NOW, producers from the LGBTQ community questioned why networks like CBC, which will air Overlord And The Underworlds, would work with a producer that discourages LGBTQ characters on TV.ĭiggstown writer JP Larocque took to Twitter to oppose practices that reinforce homophobic attitudes.

#Come to jesus moment series

While BYUtv has not referenced LGBTQ+ topics and characters in the five original scripted series it has aired to date, we desire to address subjects – including LGBTQ+ – that are important to our growing and diverse audience. That to me is still saying you can’t do it.”īYUtv provided NOW with the following statement: “As a young network committed to bringing together religious and non-religious audiences, BYUtv is learning and exploring ways to partner with diverse content creators, writers and talent to implement meaningful co-viewing experiences for our target audience (children 8-15 and their parents).

“They know that they have to progress at some point, but they’re worried that their audience is not ready to go there. “It’s one of those things where they couch it in a way where they say, ‘We’re not ready for it,'”said Farrell. But they also had to square their achievement with BYUtv’s affiliations with LDS and unofficial restrictions on LGBTQ characters.įarrell said there was no written policy on set, but it was spoken.

In a NOW story published earlier this week, he and his all-BIPOC creative team discussed the progress they made in terms of racial representation on The Parker Andersons and Amelia Parker, two interconnected sitcoms about an interracial blended family. “That’s huge for a broadcaster like BYUtv to say and that’s only because of your article.” He also says that the LGBTQ characters in the sitcom about an intergalactic villain seeking witness protection on earth will be clearly identified, not simply coded as queer for deniability’s sake. “BYU has told me for the shows that I’m working on with them, which right now is just Overlord And The Underwoods, we can open the doors up to queer representation,” said Farrell said in a follow-up interview. The church also deems same-sex relationships a “serious transgression” and can excommunicate members who identify as gay and act on their homosexuality. Farrell and members from his writing team from made-in-Canada shows The Parker Andersons and Amelia Parker told NOW they could not include clearly identified queer characters in the shows since BYUtv is owned by U.S.-based college Brigham Young University, the flagship educational institution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), aka the Mormon church.īYU has a ban on same-sex relationships on campus. “We have been having conversations with BYUtv about LGBTQ representation in future seasons of The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker.”

“Our upcoming series Overlord And The Underwoods will have LGBTQ characters,” BYUtv’s Canadian producing partner Marblemedia said in an email to NOW on April 8.

#Come to jesus moment tv

BYUtv will start including LGBTQ characters on its TV shows after Canadian writers and producers voiced concerns over exclusionary “unwritten” rules on the Mormon church-affiliated broadcaster’s productions.