A new drama about a transgender teenager has been green-lit by US broadcaster The CW.

The series, known as Ze, will revolve around a female-to-male transgender teen and his family.

After the teenager comes out to his family and starts living as a male, his already dysfunctional family spin into identity crises of their own, leaving him to discover he is the most well-adjusted of them all.

Ze will be penned by Brooklyn-based writer-playwright Kyle Jarrow and executive produced by Michael London.

London, who has previously produced Sideways, Smart People and the Visitor, is also known for his work on the Oscar-winning biopic Milk, about San Francisco gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk.

The shows title, Ze, is an often-used gender neutral pronoun amongst people with non-conforming gender identities.

The show is a first in the USA, as no prime time show has had a trans lead character before.

Traditionally, transgender characters have had smaller roles in television. Recent shows, including Orange Is The New Black, have shown a more realistic and positive image of trans people.

Trans characters have had their own shows in other countries, including the British drama Hit & Miss which featured a male-to-female transsexual assassin played by ChloÃ« Sevigny.