James Van Der Beek - Van Der Beek's New Sitcom Under Fire From Parents Group

The series, which debuted in the U.S. on 11 April (12), has come under fire from members of the Parents Television Council (Ptc) who are outraged by its "offensive content".

A statement posted on the Ptc website reads, "(TV network) ABC didn't just reach for the sewer, they dove in head-first and they took our airwaves with them...

"The program is a sexist mixed-bag of hedonism, drug-use, alcohol abuse (including the main character plying a 13-year-old boy with alcohol to get him drunk) and explicit levels of promiscuity that are shocking even by today's broadcast TV standards."

Ptc bosses also took exception to the show's title, insisting the name "represents a continuing and disturbing trend of using offensive, profane language in the very title of the program, where it is nearly impossible for families to avoid".

The council has previously targeted series including Skins, Glee, and The Playboy Club.