An episode of hit TV show Glee revolving around a school shooting has provoked mixed reactions from families and critics.
'Shooting Star' went out in the US on April 11 and showed students hiding in fear after hearing gun shots during singing practice.
During tense scenes choirmaster Will Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison, tells teenagers to tweet and text to spread news of the 'intruder'.
Another scene shows students recording messages for their loved ones.
Despite the storyline eventually revealing a false alarm, some residents of Newtown - where the Sandy Hook shootings took place - believe the episode was ill-timed.
Andrew Paley, whose twin sons survived the school massacre that killed 26, wrote that it was "too soon" and said that producers should have got in touch.
"Our kids and our own wounds are still too new," he posted on the Newtown Action Alliance Facebook page.
"The producers should be ashamed to not think of us and how we'd feel if we just happened to be watching ... they should have given Newtown a heads up."
Local paper The Newtown Bee also said the episode was likely to be "a little much for some residents to stomach".
But Anthony Lusardi - whose girlfriend Lauren Rousseau, a teacher, died in the shootings - gave his support to the show.
Actor Matthew Morrison (right) plays Glee choirmaster Will Schuester
"As long as it keeps the subject in the public's mind I'm all for it," he said. "My Lauren was a huge fan of the show. So I'm sure she would have approved."
The gun shots in the controversial episode turn out to be a false alarm and a flashback scene later reveals cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) confiscating a gun from a pupil, which accidentally fires.
Producers also prefaced the episode with a warning: "This episode of 'Glee' addresses the topic of school violence. Viewer discretion is advised."
Glee creator Ryan Murphy praised the cast on Twitter in the days running up to the broadcast, calling it "the most powerful emotional Glee ever".
But television critics were split on the merits of the episode.
The New York Daily News said it had the "unsettling feel of exploitation", while Billboard cautiously praised a "new feat" for the show's cast in tackling the issue.
The award-winning show, featuring a high school Glee club regularly bursting into song, has been a big hit for Fox since it began in 2009 and regularly tackles sensitive topics like sexuality, religion and domestic violence.
