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Parents of adopted kids criticize comedy

David Bauder, The Associated Press
Friday June 21, 2002

NEW YORK — The mother of twin toddlers adopted from China, Nancy Kennon was excited when she heard that an ABC comedy, “My Adventures in Television,” was going to feature a Chinese adoption. 

What she saw earlier this month appalled her. 

Character Lindsay Urich adopts because a therapist says she has a lot of love to give, then gives the baby away after finding motherhood inconvenient. A fictional TV executive begs her to give the baby as a gift to a vain star. Urich tells a friend who holds the baby, “you break her, you bought her.” And when one woman muses that the baby looks cute enough to eat, a man says he doesn’t eat Chinese babies “because a half hour later I’m hungry and have to eat another.” 

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Kennon, from Ossining, N.Y. “I know it’s a big world out there, but it just blows my mind away that a group of people sat and reviewed this and nobody thought it was offensive.” 

She and other parents have protested to ABC; the network couldn’t provide a count of how many. A major advertiser, Kodak, has expressed displeasure and pulled all ads from future episodes. Even one of the actors has apologized. 

ABC and the sitcom’s creator said those who are offended should realize that the show — soon to disappear from the network’s schedule — is a satire about callous television executives. 

“I would imagine if you were in the process of trying to adopt a Chinese baby that you would watch this and be absolutely horrified,” said Peter Tolan, the show’s executive producer. 

“As always,” he said, “get a sense of humor.” 

“My Adventures in Television” first appeared on ABC’s schedule in April and was cancelled after two episodes. ABC is burning off the six episodes it bought now during rerun season; the show’s not on the network’s fall schedule. 

The Chinese baby episode, which aired June 5, drew a relatively small network TV audience of 5.3 million. 

Rochelle Talton, a Virginia Beach, Va., mother of a 2-year-old adopted from China, wasn’t among those viewers. But she moderates Internet chat rooms devoted to adoption that were abuzz with anger. 

Talton has protested to ABC’s parent, Walt Disney Co. She said she was concerned that older adopted children would have been upset by it. 

“I know that no matter what they put on television, it’s going to offend somebody,” Talton said.