Ryan Murphy: ‘The New Normal’ Will Be One Million Moms Favorite Show

What is the new normal? A new NBC show is stirring up a bit of controversy because it depicts a gay couple attempting to have a child through a surrogate. According to One Million Moms, that is not the “normal” family.

One Million Moms writes on their website:

“NBC is using public airwaves to continue to subject families to the decay of morals and values, and the sanctity of marriage in attempting to redefine marriage. These things are harmful to our society, and this program is damaging to our culture.”

Jennifer Salke, President of NBC Entertainment, responded to the anti-gay group’s criticism saying that the show doesn’t show a family that is “more” normal than any other American family. Instead, it reflects what a lot of Americans are currently going through at the moment.

Salke said:

“The title isn’t meant to push the idea that that’s a more normal family than everyone else… It’s just meant to open up, to bring a family show to the public that we feel captures the zeitgeist of what’s going on in the country right now and being inclusive and you know, as [Ryan Murphy] would say, the normal family isn’t a gay family, it’s just a different family and I think we all see that all around us every day.”

Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee, said that One Million Moms should give the show a chance before they start protesting.

Murphy said:

“Every person and group has a right to protest something. I find it to be interesting that they would take a position before they’ve seen it.”

According to Murphy, One Million Moms may actually like the show if they give it a chance. Murphy said that One Million Moms is actually represented on the show. E! Online reports that Ellen Barkin’s character, who plays the mother of the gay couple’s surrogate, has very strong opinions about homosexuality and is actually a member of the anti-gay group.

“I think if they watch the show, I actually think they would love it. For the first time they will be represented! Ellen Barkin’s character is a member of the Million Moms! I think their points of view are delivered with sensitivity and a certain amount of voracity by Ms. Barkin. I think if they watched it, they would like it…She will protest people and events and I think it will be great fodder for Brian and David’s characters to talk about.”

One Million Moms is currently urging supporters to email NBC and tell them to drop the show. The anti-gay group pulled of a similar protest when JCPenney named Ellen DeGeneres as its spokeswoman. Needless to say, Ellen is still the spokeswoman at JCPenney.

The New Normal seems to come from the same point of view as the Emmy-winning show Modern Family. The traditional family still exists but it isn’t the only type of family on the block. One Million Moms can resist the “new” normal, but the fact is the American family is a lot more diverse than it used to be.

What do you think about The New Normal?