NBC's Salt Lake City Affiliate Won't Air Gay-Themed Comedy 'The New Normal'

For the second year in a row, NBC's affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah, has opted not to air one of the network's new series.

In 2011, KSL-TV banned "The Playboy Club" from its airwaves, which was quickly cancelled by NBC. Now, the station has said it will leave "The New Normal" - a comedy about a surrogate mother who moves in with a gay couple to help them have a child - off its schedule.

Speaking with Deseret News, the CEO of KSL's parent company cited what he deemed to be crude language and explicit content as the reason for the decision. He said, "For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time."

Series star Ellen Barkin has chastised KSL for its decision on Twitter, writing to her followers, "Anyone in Utah interested in @NBCTheNewNormal please clog up @ksl5tv feed 4 their blatantly homophic decision 2 not air the show #KSLBigots"

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has also called attention to the ban. It posted an article on its website describing KSL's announcement, headlined "Utah NBC Affiliate's Decision to Ban 'The New Normal' is Anti-Gay and Outdated." The president of GLAAD is quoted in the article as saying, "While audiences, critics and advertisers have all supported LGBT stories, KSL is demonstrating how deeply out of touch it is with the rest of the country."

Last month, the conservative group One Million Moms called for a protest of "The New Normal," which was co-created by"Glee's" Ryan Murphy.

"The New Normal" premieres Sept. 11.