Cheyenne Jackson, Christopher Sieber

With shows such as Brothers & Sisters, Modern Family and the soon to be dearly missed Ugly Betty already part of its line-up, ABC has been the most gay-friendly network on television for quite some time. And that record of gay-inclusiveness is only set to increase if the network picks up the new comedy pilot It Takes a Village.

Written by Casey Johnson and David Windsor (Greek), ITAV stars Leah Remini (The King of Queens) and Christopher Sieber (It's All Relative) as two exes trying to raise their 15-year-old son while also navigating their post-divorce romantic relationships. And in the case of Sieber's character Howard, that relationship is with his new boyfriend Scott played by Cheyenne Jackson.

ABC has recently found a great deal of success with their return to the sitcom format including The Middle, Cougar Town, and, of course, Modern Family. So what might It Takes A Village look like? Would it be more like MF, a traditional family sitcom about untraditional families? Or might it be skew more toward NBC's satirical comedies such as The Office or the off-the-wall 30 Rock.

ABC's current Wednesay night lineup

AfterElton.com obtained sides from the pilot to try and get those answers, as well as to see what kind of gay men Howard and Scott might be.

For those not familiar with "sides," these are portions of a script — in this case from the pilot — used by actors auditioning for different roles. It's important to keep in mind a great deal can change about a script, especially one that is still just a pilot, at this stage. Based on network feedback, there can be rewrites, reshoots and even casting

changes. Nonetheless, it’s unusual for things to change too much and the sides give some indication of what the show might look like should the network pick it up.

While the sides AfterElton.com obtained from the pilot have a darker edge than a show such as The Middle, and involves a more unconventional and complicated family situation than Modern Family, this sitcom appears as if it would fit in nicely with ABC’s current Wednesday comedy lineup which also includes Cougar Town and has an opening after the failure of Kelsey Grammer's Hank.

As for the set-up of ITAV, the pilot takes place on the day that Howard tells his ex-wife Karen and their son George that Howard and boyfriend Scott are moving in together after only dating for a few months. To further complicate matters, Howard purchased a house on the same block where Karen, George and Carl live.

As currently written, the pilot feels somewhat broad and the writing less sharp than that found in Modern Family. For the most part the characters are somewhat stock. Karen comes across as slightly neurotic, a woman not entirely over the fact that her marriage to a gay man – who was as much her best friend as husband – is over.

Meanwhile, Howard is a rather stereotypical gay man who got married and had a child before coming to terms with his sexuality. And now that he’s out, he wonders how his wife couldn’t have known the truth, something that comes out while they fight for possession of their mattress in the middle of their street.

KAREN

You took Scott to Bed, Bath and Beyond!

This stops Howard

KAREN (CONT’D)

That’s our store!

HOWARD

We only bought a fitted sheet and some placemats. It wasn’t that great. We even forgot our coupons.

KAREN

Don’t. Don’t tell me you didn’t love it. You always loved it.

HOWARD

They just always have so much stuff!

After Karen briefly complains that Carl, her new husband, isn’t particularly romantic, Howard wonders how wife hadn’t known he was gay.

HOWARD

All those mimosas and white sales. Didn’t you ever think maybe I was gay?

KAREN

I thought I was just lucky.

HOWARD

And the fact that we didn’t have a lot of sex?

KAREN

I thought we were just married.

HOWARD

And that I once cried over an incredible selection of hand towels?

KAREN

I’m not saying there weren’t clues.

Leah Remini plays Karen, James Patrick Stuart plays Carl

To be fair, Howard isn’t the only one stereotyped here. Karen’s new husband Carl is very much a stock character we’ve seen a zillion times before. He’s so into sports he names his dogs after football players (which leads to very confused conversations), only likes to shop for meat and TVs, thinks being romantic is checking the tire pressure of wife’s tires, and very much does her bidding. But while he’s rather clueless about gay men, he’s also not homophobic in the pilot.

As for Howard’s partner Scott, he’s also a bit of a cliché, coming across as a bit bitchy – being shocked that Carl is wearing jean shorts, for instance – as well as being rather vain. On the plus side, Scott is also outspoken and very much no nonsense, and that bluntness colors his relationships with both Karen and George.

It is in both of those relationships that ITAV offers up its freshest material. In the pilot, George is clearly being used by Alyssa, a girl interested in him only for the help he can provide with her homework. While Howard and Karen are willfully oblivious to that fact, Scott sees just what’s going on and isn’t afraid to say so. In fact, his first interaction with George is to be very frank with him about the girl's motivations.

INT. SCOTT’S CAR – DAY

George and Scott are in the car, each in their own head spaces. Finally:

GEORGE

So… this is our first time alone together.

SCOTT

That girl’s not into you.

GEORGE

Wow. Okay. That’s the worst small talk ever.

SCOTT

Sorry, I just think that it’s not cool that your parents you to think that she is.

GEORGE

How do you know that she’s not?

Scott explains he once “dated” a girl like that when he was George’s age. When George (plyed by Zach Mills, right) asks if Scott’s now going to tell him not to worry because he’s a terrific kid and he’ll find someone else.

Scott’s response is characteristically pointed.

SCOTT

No, I’m just going to be honest and say that you are fourteen and that your ears are too big for your face and despite how great your parents tell you life is going to be, the next few years are going to suck.

Scott’s bluntness extends to George’s mother who doesn’t care for it in the least. Nor does she much care for Scott, especially when he offers his opinions on how to raise her son. When Scott shares his thoughts on why Alyssa is interested in George, she doesn't take it well.

KAREN

Well, thanks for that insight, Scott, but since Howard's the dad and I'm the mom, I think we have everything covered.

SCOTT

Actually, I don't want anything to do with being a parent. To be honest, I don't even like kids.

KAREN

I'm sorry, you what?

SCOTT

I like George. But I went to high school, too. Guys like George don't usually get girls like Alyssa. Don't you think you're doing him a disservice by not telling him how it really is?

KAREN

And crush his spirit?! Your stuff's still on the driveway and you're already telling us how to raise our son?

SCOTT

You're welcome??

(off their looks)

Fine. I won't say another word.

(then)

Who am I kidding. I have so many opinions. I love that blouse, by the way.

What should hopefully elevate both Howard and Scott past being two somewhat cliched gay characters is that as of now the parts are being played by Christopher Sieber as Howard and Cheyenne Jackson as Scott. Two such strong, accomplished actors, each with a great deal of presence, should be able to very much make the parts their own and hopefully rise any weaknesses in the writing and make this a village we all want to be part of.