JC

Comedy Central's plan to develop an animated show about Jesus Christ has rattled the cages of religious watchdog groups, who’ve banded together to protest. The Family Research Council, the Catholic League, the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, and the Parents Television Council (among other groups) coalesced into the Coalition Against Religious Bigotry (CARB). “JC,” the project under development, contemplates a character named Jesus trying to live as a regular guy in New York City and wanting to escape the shadow of his "powerful but apathetic father." “Under development,” as the Irish Times pointed out, “means it's still a couple of steps from getting the green light as a series.”

But CARB is already on the attack, urging advertisers to boycott the show and the network: "After we reveal the vile and offensive nature of Comedy Central's previous characterizations of Jesus Christ and God the Father, we expect these advertisers to agree wholeheartedly to end their advertising on Comedy Central and discontinue their support for unabashed, anti-Christian discrimination," Brent Bozell, president, Media Research Centre, said in a statement. "Why should they be supporting a business that makes a habit of attacking Christianity and yet has a formal policy to censor anything considered offensive to followers of Islam? This double standard is pure bigotry, one from which advertisers should quickly shy away." Comedy Central had no comment.