ABC greenlights sitcom about undocumented family living in US

ABC has greenlit a new sitcom tentatively titled "Sanctuary Family" about an undocumented family living in the U.S.

The network says the show will follow the pandemonium that unfolds when a married couple allows their undocumented nanny and her family to live with them. The guests put a strain on the marriage of the host family but they eventually learn that “the differences both families have aren’t as significant as their similarities,” according to the description provided by ABC.

Undocumented immigrants are foreign-born people who don’t have a legal right to be or remain in the United States and the country is currently home to over 11 million of them, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act, known as DACA, is an Obama-era executive order that was signed in 2012 and allows certain youngsters to stick around, even if they’re undocumented. The fate of DACA is currently uncertain, as Trump has said he'll halt the program if Congress doesn't act to continue it.

The situation surrounding real-life undocumented immigrants has obviously been a polarizing issue during the Trump Administration, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that ABC is basing a comedy on the controversy, given its left-leaning tendencies.

ABC executives canceled Tim Allen’s family values-based "Last Man Standing" despite its strong ratings, although ABC President of Entertainment Channing Dungey told reporters that "politics had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

The network also has been criticized for several shows that skewer traditional values, such as "The Real O'Neals" which made fun of Irish Catholics, and "When We Rise" which was widely criticized for portraying Middle America as homophobic. ABC journalist Terry Moran also compared Trump's inaugural address to Nazi rhetoric, and “World News Tonight” skipped a story about an angry group of immigration activists interrupting a press conference by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi earlier this week.

The anti-Pelosi protesters apparently wanted her to fight for “all 11 million” undocumented immigrants, as opposed to just “Dreamers” covered by DACA program.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post recently ranked the top 15 possible 2020 Democratic candidates, with Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger as No. 11, ahead of politicians such as Tim Kaine and Deval Patrick.

“New Girl” writer and co-executive producer David Feeney will write and executive produce the project.