TLC cancels underperforming ‘All-American Muslim’

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The reality show ride of the five Dearborn, Mich., families who starred in TLC’s controversial series ‘All-American Muslim’ has ended. TLC did not pick up the series for a second season.

The series premiered late last year and swiftly came under fire from the Florida Family Assn., which convinced some advertisers to drop their sponsorship of the show. The conservative group argued the program amounted to Muslim propaganda and threatened American values.

Building supply chain Lowe’s was the most prominent sponsor to pull its ads, stating that ‘we did not pull our ads based solely on the complaints or emails of any one group. It is never our intent to alienate anyone. Lowe’s values diversity of thought in everyone, including our employees and prospective customers.’

Many celebrities spoke out against the move, including Russell Simmons and Mia Farrow, who both encouraged a boycott of the chain. Several Arab American and Muslim American groups, including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services also weighed in against Lowe’s decision.

In the end, the series aired all eight episodes of its first season. The Florida Family Assn. claimed 65 total sponsors dropped the show, however several of those sponsors, including Bank of America, Campbell’s Soup and Sears, contested the FFA’s claims.

Despite the controversy, which can often be a boost for ratings, the show never attracted much of an audience. The series averaged just under 1 million viewers per episode.

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-- Patrick Kevin Day