Seth MacFarlane’s ‘Dads’ Deemed Racist, Watchdog Group Demands Reshoots
A media watchdog group recently declared that Seth MacFarlane’s new sitcom Dads is insensitive and racist. This could force producers to reshoot a handful of offensive scenes.
Since the Family Guy creator is no stranger to the world of controversy, it should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that his latest endeavor is ruffling some feathers. Producers were forced to defend the show during the Television Critics Association press tour a few weeks back.
One group that has taken particular offense to Seth MacFarlane’s Dads is Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA). The organization bills itself as “the only group solely dedicated to being a media watchdog for Asian American media issues.”
Deeply offended by some of the stuff found in the new sitcom, MANAA issued a stern letter to the folks at Fox asking them to reshoot some of the controversial scenes in question.
According to Digital Spy, the pilot episode of Dads features a character making reference to “Orientals.” The show also reportedly contains a few jokes made at the expense of the Chinese. Not surprisingly, the folks at MANAA aren’t exactly thrilled with the sitcom’s sense of humor.
Founder Guy Aoki sent the letter in question to several FOX executives including Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly and Chief Operating Officer Joe Earley.
Aoki explained in the letter:
Fox has an opportunity to fix fatal flaws in the pilot and to improve the show’s chances for success when it premieres next month. We are asking you to reshoot the inappropriate scenes of the pilot. Considering the consistent feedback from our community and television critics in general — and the creators saying they hadn’t properly defined their characters nor gotten used to their actors when they shot that first episode — this sounds like a no-brainer.
Fox hasn’t issued a statement regarding MANAA’s demands as of this writing. However, the controversy is sure to give the new show plenty of free publicity. Since the network has stood behind MacFarlane during his Family Guy days, it’s unclear if changes will be made before the Dads premiere.
Do you think Seth MacFarlane should reshoot the controversial scenes in his new sitcom Dads?
[Image via FOX]
