Welcome to the Neighborhood (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Welcome to the Neighborhood is an American
reality television
series produced in 2005 by ABC
that was notable for the amount of controversy it garnered before it was aired. It subsequently became one of the few American TV series to be cancelled before airing a single episode.
The show was a contest to win a lush dream home in an exclusive cul-de-sac in Circle C Ranch
in Austin, Texas
. The catch is that the local families decide who will win, and while they are all conservative, white, upper-class Christians, all the contestants are not.
The still-unaired show came under fire from the Family Research Council
for concerns that "conservatives could come off looking biased", and from the National Fair Housing Alliance for concerns that the show violated anti-discrimination housing laws, which the show's producers denied. GLAAD, with reservations, approved the show's final message.
Possibly the result of its poor reception, ABC pulled the show from its scheduled July 10, 2005 debut. Although Fox Reality Channel
eventually asked for the rights to air it, ABC president Steve McPherson denied the request, claiming moral issues with the very content of the show.
The show's producers continue to claim that the show becomes much more light-hearted towards the end of its six episodes when they show "some eyes and hearts opening up, opinions changing, and a community transforming". The producers' purported goal was to discover whether a diverse family could be accepted into a white, conservative, upper-class, Christian neighborhood. The judges did eventually award the house to the gay couple and they moved into the house. One of the neighbors on the adjoining block put his house up for sale, directly citing the homosexuals and the negative attention the show garnered for the Circle C Ranch
neighborhood as the reasons why.
German TV station RTL2 reused the series' idea in 2007 with a setting in Berlin
, using the title "Willkommen in der Nachbarschaft" (a literal translation).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series produced in 2005 by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
that was notable for the amount of controversy it garnered before it was aired. It subsequently became one of the few American TV series to be cancelled before airing a single episode.
The show was a contest to win a lush dream home in an exclusive cul-de-sac in Circle C Ranch
Circle C Ranch
Circle C Ranch is a large master-planned community in southwest Austin, Texas, USA. Circle C was featured prominently in a long and contentious environmental legal battle regarding Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The catch is that the local families decide who will win, and while they are all conservative, white, upper-class Christians, all the contestants are not.
Families
- The Crenshaws - A religious African-American family
- The Eckhardts - A Caucasian/Native American Pagan family
- The Gonzalezes - A Hispanic family
- The Lees - A Korean family
- The Morgans - A Caucasian family with a stripper mother
- The Sheets - A heavily-tattooed Republican Caucasian family
- The Wrights - A Caucasian homosexual family with an adopted African-American son
Cancelation
The first two episodes were screened before a group of critics, who lambasted it for the prejudice the judges displayed. One judge openly claimed that he "would not tolerate a homosexual".The still-unaired show came under fire from the Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
for concerns that "conservatives could come off looking biased", and from the National Fair Housing Alliance for concerns that the show violated anti-discrimination housing laws, which the show's producers denied. GLAAD, with reservations, approved the show's final message.
Possibly the result of its poor reception, ABC pulled the show from its scheduled July 10, 2005 debut. Although Fox Reality Channel
Fox Reality Channel
Fox Reality Channel was an all reality television channel available on cable and satellite television in the United States. It was launched on May 24, 2005 and was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group. It featured many shows that were previously on the Fox network...
eventually asked for the rights to air it, ABC president Steve McPherson denied the request, claiming moral issues with the very content of the show.
The show's producers continue to claim that the show becomes much more light-hearted towards the end of its six episodes when they show "some eyes and hearts opening up, opinions changing, and a community transforming". The producers' purported goal was to discover whether a diverse family could be accepted into a white, conservative, upper-class, Christian neighborhood. The judges did eventually award the house to the gay couple and they moved into the house. One of the neighbors on the adjoining block put his house up for sale, directly citing the homosexuals and the negative attention the show garnered for the Circle C Ranch
Circle C Ranch
Circle C Ranch is a large master-planned community in southwest Austin, Texas, USA. Circle C was featured prominently in a long and contentious environmental legal battle regarding Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer...
neighborhood as the reasons why.
German TV station RTL2 reused the series' idea in 2007 with a setting in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, using the title "Willkommen in der Nachbarschaft" (a literal translation).