Bordertown's satire hits the nail on headlines

Bordertown bears the Family Guy stamp. Photo / AP

Bordertown is funny.

The animated comedy, which premiered overnight on Fox, inspires the kind of laughs that come with a wince. How uncomfortable you are will depend on how much you've been paying attention to current events.

Created by Family Guy writer Mark Hentemann, Bordertown revolves around two neighbouring families in the fictional Southwest desert town of Mexifornia.

Bud Buckwald, voiced by Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), feels threatened by a growing immigrant population that looks a lot like his neighbour, Ernesto Gonzalez. Ernesto runs a successful landscaping business, much to the ire of Bud, who struggles to keep his job as a border patrol agent.

In the first episode, Mexifornia residents are asked to pass an anti-immigration ordinance - also known as the "show me your papers law" - and Bud is a staunch supporter: "The Southwest belongs to retired art teachers and meth-lab entrepreneurs."

The immigrant debate and a growing culture clash are the targets of Bordertown's satire, but nothing and no one is left unscathed.

But the show is off to a good start with its timely humour.

The second episode is called Borderwall. Bud is among the Mexifornia residents in favour of a wall to keep Mexican immigrants from crossing the border.

Last month, Hentemann told entertainment website TV Insider that he had written the episode long before leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised he would build a wall along the Mexican border.

"We should give Trump a writing credit on the episode for making it relevant and topical again," said Hentemann.