Impastor, which premiered this summer on the TV Land channel, follows Buddy Dobbs (Michael Rosenbaum), above, a fugitive and hard-core gambling addict who, in order to hide from a pair of loan sharks, ends up stealing the identity of a recently deceased gay pastor who was relocating to Ladner, a local small-town community.
According to one reviewer:
This show is actually targeting a very niche audience, which dislikes political correctness. Impastor has thrown all that out. It’s got jokes about religion, homosexuality, sex, drugs, suicide, death, sickness and even … Scooby Doo!
Well, Jennifer LeClaire of Charisma News was not in the least bit amused and wrote:
Admittedly, some pastors are phony and some prophets are false. But a new TV Land show Impastor crosses the line into anti-Christian bigotry.
She reported that One Million Moms aren’t amused either, and that they issued a statement saying:
This show not only depicts pastors in a negative light, but the entire program will also be based on lies about Christianity. TV Land has crossed the line by belittling the Christian religion with foul jokes.
One Million Moms wants Christians to send a loud and clear message to TV Land, its owner Viacom, and all potential advertisers that this kind of programming is insulting and completely unacceptable.
TV Land is not ridiculing any other religion currently and wouldn’t dream of mocking Muhammed or Muslims. If we speak with one voice now, we can keep this program from ever seeing the light of day.
OMM added:
Christians should no longer sit idly by and allow this blasphemy to continue without speaking up in protest, Impastor is another attempt to distort the truth about Christianity. There is power in numbers! Forward this to everyone you know in a fight to keep this show off the air.
Said LeClair:
I agree with One Million Moms. Christians need to stand up and speak out. TV Land and other networks can’t be allowed to mock Christianity – and even Christ Himself. People can’t even draw cartoons of Mohammad without fearing for their life, but Jesus and Christians who turn the other cheek are open game.
I believe we should turn the other cheek and pray for our enemies, but that doesn’t mean we should lie down and allow Christianity to be mocked without correcting the misconceptions. There’s a difference.
The Christian site Movieguide® is also furious, saying in a barely literate letter to TV Land:
Movieguide®, who helps represent the 141 million Americans who attend church regularly and share our values of faith and who reach 24 million directly with our reviews, are deeply concerned your network, TV Land. Specifically the show “Impastor” which misrepresents God and the Christian faith while simultaneously offending viewers with lewd, vulgar content. You are losing your target audience and loyal viewers of TV Land with this bigoted offensive series.
TV Land’s response? Stop with the whining already!
According to Wiki, on August 31 TV Land confirmed that Impastor was renewed for a second season.