This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Nobody sets out to make a bad show. But bad shows happen, nonetheless.

To hear creator/executive producer DJ Nash talk about his new NBC series "Truth Be Told" (Friday, 7:30 p.m., Ch. 5), he seems to have had noble intentions. Well, as noble as intentions get when you're making a sitcom.

But this show is just plain awful. A wasted half-hour of your life you'll never get back.

Nash said the show is "loosely" based on his life.

"My wife is Korean. My best friend and his wife are black," he said. "And we were doing take-out one night and I realized I'm the only white guy in my house, and I want to do a show about four friends who are what I call true friends — friends who don't pull punches.

"There's certain friends that will tell you just what you want to hear. That's not who these friends are. These are friends who are willing to say anything to each other. They love and respect each other so much that no topic is off limits."

Wow. That really does sound noble. It doesn't sound funny, but how can you not root for a show that's all about friendship and diversity?

Well, "Truth Be Told," something got lost between the noble intentions and the execution in this show.

The series opens with an awkward scene in which Mitch (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, "Saved by the Bell") incorrectly assumes that a parking valet is being racist toward his pal, Russell (standup comedian Tone Bell).

And then, riding in the car, can Mitch, the white friend, sing the N-word if it's in the lyrics of the song they're listening to?

It's apparently supposed to be funny, but it's just uncomfortable. And not in the least bit ground-breaking.

(Later in the episode, Russell gets all jealous of his wife's ex-boyfriend — a TV sitcom trope we've seen about a billion times before.)

Nash insists that his goal is to portray "real honest conversations" that "will start a national conversation."

"Our idea is to do a show, get viewers watching and talking about that show, and bring those viewers back with their friends," he said.

How high-minded. How honorable. How unselfish.

And then there's the premiere episode's main storyline. Mitch and his wife, Tracy (Vanessa Lachey, "Wipeout"), are desperate to find a babysitter for their young daughter so they can go to a Jay-Z concert with Russell and his wife, Angie (Bresha Webb, "Grey's Anatomy").

What Mitch and Russell end up discussing ad nauseam is whether the babysitter they've hired (guest star Antonimar Murphy) is a porn star.

Funny can make up for a lot. But none of this is funny. It's painful. It's embarrassing. It can't possibly be what Nash intended.

"Truth Be Told," all the talk about what this show was supposed to be collapses when you see what it is. It's awful.

Scott D. Pierce covers television for The Salt Lake Tribune . Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.