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Race & Ethnicity On TV


Message added by Meredith Quill,

This is the place to discuss race and ethnicity issues related to TV shows only.

Go here for the equivalent movie discussions.

For general discussion without TV/Film context please use the Social Justice topic in Everything Else. 

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1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

It doesn't sound like my cup of tea but I wish Shonda well. Hopefully it'll turn out better than her attempt at a Romeo and Juliet follow-up. IMO, that was a hot mess.

God I loved it.  It had all the tropes they never use anymore and I was unabashedly here for it.  I haven't read the Bridgerton series but I'm hoping for tropey romantic fun.

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(edited)
7 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

It doesn't sound like my cup of tea but I wish Shonda well. Hopefully it'll turn out better than her attempt at a Romeo and Juliet follow-up. IMO, that was a hot mess.

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

God I loved it.  It had all the tropes they never use anymore and I was unabashedly here for it.  I haven't read the Bridgerton series but I'm hoping for tropey romantic fun.

Ditto and likewise.  I thought that by-and-large it was a lot of fun, and it was great seeing such a diverse cast.  

(It's a pity I passed on FBI, since Ebonee Noel is a fantastic actress.)

Edited by jhlipton
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The UK police drama, Bulletproof, had been mentioned in here before; so just wanted to let people know that it will be premiering on the CW network on August 7. It's 6 episodes; and I assume it will also be available for streaming the day after airing like other CW shows.

Quote

The adrenalin-fueled action thriller BULLETPROOF follows two undercover cops, Bishop (Noel Clarke, "Star Trek: Into Darkness") and Pike (Ashley Walters, "Top Boy") as they chase down hardened criminals in London's East End. Despite their differences, Bishop and Pike work brilliantly together even when the chemistry between them looks set to explode. Full of grit and sometimes gloss, BULLETPROOF is stylish and funny with entertaining, riveting criminal cases in each episode.


I didn't think this would get much traffic, so I created a topic for it; but a forum can still be requested.

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37 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

If indeed On My Block is getting anywhere near the viewership of Stranger Things and 13 Reasons Why, the stars should get an appropriate raise.  

I'm surprised to learn it's the #1 binged show as the above article states, as I don't think I've heard anyone talk about it, nor do I think Netflix itself has recommended it to me.  I'm not familiar with this show at all.

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15 hours ago, Dee said:

Netflix consistently under-promotes its series featuring actors of color.

Dear White People is returning August 2nd (YAY!!!!) -- any bets how hard NetFlix promotes it?

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17 hours ago, Dee said:

Netflix consistently under-promotes its series featuring actors of color.

Which is part of why it surprised me to learn it is so watched.  (Although #1 binged doesn't necessarily mean #1 watched or even #10 watched.)  I would expect to hear about something that has relied on word-of-mouth to become popular.

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On 7/11/2019 at 12:32 PM, Irlandesa said:

God I loved it.  It had all the tropes they never use anymore and I was unabashedly here for it.  I haven't read the Bridgerton series but I'm hoping for tropey romantic fun.

I loved Still Starcrossed and was sad about it’s cancellation.  I was shipping Rosaline and Benvolio so much and was enjoying their engagement of convenience hate to love story.   I’m looking forward to the Brigerton series.

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On 7/11/2019 at 10:44 AM, DearEvette said:

In January it was announced that one of the first projects Shonda Rhimes would do in her move from ABC to Netflix was an adaptation of a romance novel series by author Julia Quinn that follows a family known as the Bridgertons set during the early 1800s in Regency England.

This was met with much rejoicing by a lot of romance reader fans.  Not so much by some others as a) the author has made some problematic statements about diversity and inclusion in romance at a time when a lot of romancelandia is pushing hard for diversity and inclusions and b) the books are about as white as white can be.

But the cast was announced yesterday and it was a lot more diverse than the books are.  In fact the main hero, a Duke, in the first book is going to be a black actor.  So that led to... a LOT.  Not as much sturm und drang as the announcement of Halle Bailey being Ariel in the new live action Little Mermaid, but a milder version. 

I read the books and If I had the money and power to bring any romance novel series to Netlfix with an eye toward giving it a prestige treatment, it would not have been this one by any means.  But the casting is interesting and I'll definitely give it a look.  I also like that they went ahead and unabashedly made Queen Charlotte black.

That seems like a huge fail. The Duke is going to be black, why? Just pick something else.

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If you've been directed here by a show-forum moderator, it's because the show/episode threads you were posting in were being taken off-topic.  

This thread on the other hand exists precisely for the purposes of discussing race and ethnicity and their relationship with television shows.  (It's not a place to get on a soapbox regarding race relations or wail about being censored in the show threads, though, so let's watch that.) 

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14 hours ago, Sparger Springs said:

That seems like a huge fail. The Duke is going to be black, why? Just pick something else.

The casting reflects a trend of colorblind casting that the Broadway show Hamilton made a huge success with.  Sometimes audiences can get behind it and sometimes like with Still Starcrossed people object to the diverse casting decisions.  I was fine with the diversity of Hamilton and Still Starcrossed.

There are historical romance books featuring black characters I’d love to see made into movies like the ones by Beverly Jenkins.  There’s also a great modern day romance series of books called Reluctant Royals by Alyssa Cole that I have really enjoyed and I think could be adapted wonderfully.  I hope Shondaland gives some attention to black authors if they want to do more romance adaptations.  The romance novel industry like Harlequin used to segregate black characters into separate book lines which always bothered me but now have integrated.   

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2 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

The casting reflects a trend of colorblind casting that the Broadway show Hamilton made a huge success with.  Sometimes audiences can get behind it and sometimes like with Still Starcrossed people object to the diverse casting decisions.  I was fine with the diversity of Hamilton and Still Starcrossed.

Exactly. I get the impression that Shonda wants a pretty, romantic costume drama and POC are always automatically excluded from those. It might simply be a text book case of self insertion.  If she always wanted to see a version of herself represented in these so now that she has the power to make it happen, she can.  Or she was really disappointed in how ABC treated Still Star Crossed and she feels this is her chance as a do over.

2 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

There are historical romance books featuring black characters I’d love to see made into movies like the ones by Beverly Jenkins.  There’s also a great modern day romance series of books called Reluctant Royals by Alyssa Cole that I have really enjoyed and I think could be adapted wonderfully.  I hope Shondaland gives some attention to black authors if they want to do more romance adaptations.

If I to pick a historical romance featuring black characters, I think I would have chosen Cole's Loyal League series.  It is set during the Civil War and features freepersons of color who work as as spies for the Northern spy ring.  They travel back south, knowingly putting themselves at risk by becoming slaves in households of the men who are at the forefront of the war.  Because people talk all the time in front of servants, thinking of them as furniture at best, they were best placed to overhear all sorts of information.

For a modern I agree with @topanga and think Jasmine Guillory's Wedding Date would have been a great choice and very on brand for what Netflix is trying to do with reviving the rom-com.  As I read the book I kept picture Nicole Beharie and Tom Mison as the two main characters.  What an opportunity for a re-team!  But I am willing to bet that that booksmight already have the rights snapped up  given how popular it was and how much of a massive marketing push it got.

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I put this in the "Family Reunion" thread.  Netflix should be ashamed of themselves.

I’ve watched three episodes.  Awful, awful, awful show.  This is the type of crap that would be on UPN twenty five years ago, or on ABC forty five years ago.   It’s stereotypical, and it makes black parents look abusive and inept.  

What idiots decide to uproot their kids like that, and for what?  I used to have a co worker who would periodically get very lucrative job offers in other states, she would turn them all down because she didn’t want to uproot her son, who was in high school.

It would have made sense if the dad got a coaching job or something, but nothing.  The premise is actually interesting but the show is dumb.  

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(edited)

@DearEvette I’ve read Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series and Off the Grid Series.  I’m planning on reading the Loyal League next.   Thanks for the recommendation.  I think Cole is an author who is ripe for adaptations because she has different genres, variety in the ethnicities of her characters and is inclusive of all sexual orientations.  I think the right production company could adapt any one of her books and make some good television with it.  Now that I think about it Off the Grid could be an interesting series where all the world’s technology has stopped functioning and people are trying to rebuild society.  The books are focused on a particular family and their love interests dealing with the events but a tv series could really expand the story.                                      

Edited by Luckylyn
Mixed up novel and series title
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I would put my vote behind Alyssa Cole over Guillory.  I know it's unpopular but I found The Wedding Date so slight in terms of story.  Don't get me wrong, I'd watch the hell out of a movie of it if the leads have chemistry.  I haven't read much of Alyssa Cole but the book I read had more there there.  However, I get why they wouldn't do the Loyal League.  Slavery seems to be a topic that deserves more weight than being a backdrop which takes away the frothiness of it all.

As for colorblind casting, I don't have a problem with it. I get that one of the arguments against it is "realism" but the last thing romance novels are is realistic.  It's this mix of period accurate details and modern wishful thinking. 

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(edited)

Anne with an E' season 3 adds Kiawenti:io Tarbell as indigenous character Ka’kwet and stays true to its diverse storyline

From the article (not sure how to put it in quotes):

The story has been reworked heavily to adapt to the current times and talk about the timelessly relevant issues such as racism, bullying, and homophobia. Despite being set in a predominantly white neighborhood, season 2 saw the CBS/Netflix show introducing fleshed out black characters, who had their own story arcs much to the thrill of the fans.

Unlike many timeless classics, the story of Anne was always progressive – progressive for its time. When it was published, in 1908, the series was considered feminist; it challenged the social norms of the time, especially since it was the story of a girl who was an outcast but was ambitious and caring and persevered to further herself personally and professionally before pining after a boy.

Both television versions have done justice to this theme, with ‘Anne with an E’ furthering it by incorporating LGBT+ rights and racial equality, by introducing a gay classmate for Anne (Amybeth McNulty) and a Trinidadian sailor friend for Gilbert (Lucas Jade Zumann).

In season 3, the show is going to further its mission by adding an Indigenous storyline which will see an actor of Indigenous origin playing a role.

After an extensive, open-call search across Canada, the show creator Moira Walley-Beckett and executive producer Miranda de Pencier cast 12-year-old Kiawenti:io Tarbell, a Mohawk from Akwesasne, as Ka’kwet, Anne’s new friend. The actress’ Instagram bio reads: “Ka’kwet on Anne with an E. I am a Mohawk indigenous youth and proud of it. Artist and singer-songwriter, and now actor.”

* * * * * 

Re. the bolded: I'd like to know from other fans if they felt the black characters introduced had the agency and focus the showrunner claims to have given. I think she's white (although I could be wrong).

This show should be available to both Canadian and US viewers through Netflix, BTW.

Edited by Miss Dee
No good providing a linked article without the link!
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(edited)

So on Krypton, the show 

killed off Lyta, played by their black biracial female lead.

I predicted this after the way they ended S1 and suddenly all of the promotion seemed to center the 5th billed actress on the show instead of the lead (who is biracial).

It's really sad because aside from the Superman angle, their starcrossed/impossible lovestory really hooked me.  Don't know if the Supes angle is enough to keep me interested now.

Edited by phoenics
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On 7/14/2019 at 1:04 PM, Luckylyn said:

@DearEvette I’ve read Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series and Off the Grid Series.  I’m planning on reading the Loyal League next.   Thanks for the recommendation.  I think Cole is an author who is ripe for adaptations because she has different genres, variety in the ethnicities of her characters and is inclusive of all sexual orientations.  I think the right production company could adapt any one of her books and make some good television with it.  Now that I think about it Off the Grid could be an interesting series where all the world’s technology has stopped functioning and people are trying to rebuild society.  The books are focused on a particular family and their love interests dealing with the events but a tv series could really expand the story.                                      

I love when you guys discuss books I'm familiar with. I've been enjoying these black led contemporary romances. I read the second and third Reluctant Royals books.  I did not like the 3rd one at all. I felt that one was trying too hard.

I enjoyed The Wedding Date and it read like a Netflix rom com. I'm surprised no company has optioned the rights for a film yet. They need to cast someone curvy for Alexa though if they make a movie. 

Although I enjoyed Intercepted and that was optioned for a series but so far the casting is all wrong.  I feel like Lala only decided to produce it and cast herself so she can play the hot wag. She's too old to play Marlee though and Marlee being in her 20s was part of what made the book work.  She also can't act either.

And since we're talking about books that need to become movies I need Disney to make The Belles a movie. They already own the book rights and they have the streaming service to put it on. The whole time I was reading it I thought about how amazing the vivid descriptions would translate to a movie. I know people loved the first book but I actually preferred the sequel.

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Thanks to you guys I spent all weekend reading the Reluctant Royals and they were great - funny, yet deep, you know? I loved the characters. The books read more like a "trilogy" with the story coming full circle in book 3. I'm on to read Off the Grid now. 

I do hope Netflix/Shondaland picks them up, assuming they haven't been optioned already.

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2 hours ago, ursula said:

Thanks to you guys I spent all weekend reading the Reluctant Royals and they were great - funny, yet deep, you know? I loved the characters. The books read more like a "trilogy" with the story coming full circle in book 3. I'm on to read Off the Grid now. 

I do hope Netflix/Shondaland picks them up, assuming they haven't been optioned already.

A Princess in Theory was optioned

https://www.fastcompany.com/90277042/frolic-is-positioning-itself-as-the-blumhouse-of-romance

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28 minutes ago, In2You said:
happy so excited GIF
 

I hope the adaptation translates the depth as well as the humor and romance from the novel.  This could be such a great movie and possibly series of movies if all three novels and three novellas get adapted.  I’m curious if it’s a tv, movie, or streaming adaption.  Whatever the platform I will definitely be watching it.

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I just finished Radio Silence, and now I want a tv adaptation of the entire Off the Grid series! I spoiled myself a little by reading the book summaries of the other books in the series and even a between-series short story she wrote about the main characters of Radio Silence, which resolved a very important plot point. Someone needs to adapt all Alyssa Cole's books is what I'm saying. 😄 😄

Does anyone know anything about the adaptation of N K Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy? 

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6 hours ago, ursula said:

Does anyone know anything about the adaptation of N K Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy? 

That was happening at TNT, which went under some major restructuring since the AT&T takeover. It's been two years, so who knows.

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5 hours ago, ApathyMonger said:

That was happening at TNT, which went under some major restructuring since the AT&T takeover. It's been two years, so who knows.

Damn.

Gosh I hope someone else picks it up then if it's been dropped. It would be awesome for a Netflix adaptation.

Do we have prominent sci-fi/fantasy genre black directors? Apart from  Coogler and I guess Peele (though I see his work as more horror than sff)? 

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On 7/26/2019 at 10:11 PM, ursula said:

Does anyone know anything about the adaptation of N K Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy? 

I loved the Broken Earth trilogy -- so cool.  A lot of the effects might be expensive though.  BTW, did anyone else get a chuckle out of the character with the darkest-skin was named "Alabaster"?

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19 hours ago, ursula said:

Do we have prominent sci-fi/fantasy genre black directors? Apart from  Coogler and I guess Peele (though I see his work as more horror than sff)? 

Ava DuVernay's doing New Gods for DC. There's Julius Onah, who did that awful Cloverfield Paradox.

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Keeping the books to movie suggestions going.  I'm hearing great things about Too Sweet to Be Good by KM Jackson. It releases this Tuesday and is described as very Hallmarkeque. Romance with familiar feeling characters, set in a quaint town and no sex scenes.

Synopsis

Between the bustling local bakery, helpful neighbors, and down-home wisdom, Sugar Lake is a delicious place to call home--and love is the sweetest risk . . . 
Alexandrea Gale put her acting career on hold to help keep her family's bakery in business--and gave it a few eye-catching updates while she was at it. To earn money to return to New York, she puts her designs skills to work with a job renovating a once thriving local vintage theater. But Alexandrea didn't bargain on the owner's business-minded grandson fighting her every step of the way--or proving so unexpectedly irresistible . . .

As the new president of his family's real estate business, Kellen Kilborn feels that selling the theater is the only way to do right by the grandmother who helped raise him. He just can't take a risk on Alexandrea's inventive ideas--but he also can't walk away from her warm-hearted free spirit. As troubling decisions threaten to tear them apart, can they create a way to turn their dreams into the sweetest of futures together?

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(edited)

The Black Lady Sketch Show is coming soon to HBO and had Robine Thede and Issa Rae amongst others at the EPs and writers.  The trailer is fantastic with a veritable menu of whos who among black actresses with Angela Bassett being the highlight:

Edited by DearEvette
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(edited)

Folks in the US, the British buddy cop drama Bulletproof is heading your way - on the CW from Wednesday, August 7 at 8/7c. Developed by and starring two black men, Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters, the show broke ground in many ways over in the UK. Also co-stars Lashana Lynch, who recently appeared in Captain Marvel. It's a modern take on the classic buddy cop show and is loads of fun, as well as making a real effort to be diverse in as many ways as possible.

bulletproof-featured.jpg

Edited by Llywela
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Quote

Folks in the US, the British buddy cop drama Bulletproof is heading your way - on the CW from Wednesday, August 7 at 8/7c. Developed by and starring two black men, Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters, the show broke ground in many ways over in the UK. Also co-stars Lashana Lynch, who recently appeared in Captain Marvel. It's a modern take on the classic buddy cop show and is loads of fun, as well as making a real effort to be diverse in as many ways as possible.

I've seen this series. (My public library makes a lot of British TV shows available via Hoopla. Bulletproof doesn't seem to be there any more though.)

I'm wondering if the producers are going to redo some of the voicetrack for the US audience because I often found it hard to understand what the characters  were saying. The problem was a combination of regional accents, local slang, and the characters speaking very quickly. This isn't one of those shows made for the BBC which then end up on PBS so they make sure the dialog can cross the Atlantic fairly easily. It'll be interesting.

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1 hour ago, Trini said:

'Afton Williamson Quit The Rookie After Allegations of Sexual Harassment, Racial Bullying Went Largely Ignored'

I didn't watch this show, but I thought it was fishy when I heard she wasn't returning for season 2.

I enjoyed the show for the first half the the season but it seemed like in the second half somebody at the network sent a note saying 'make it more shooty!'.  The first half had been a charming show about what it was like being a rookie.  The second half it decided it wanted to be a cross between Lethal Weapon and Chicago PD with a revolving door of chemistry-less love interests for Nathan Filion.

Afton Williamson was a breath of fresh air on the show.  She made Bishop such a great and instantly charismatic character.  My interest in the show waned sharply in the second half.  It was already on life support when I heard she was leaving.  Now I know I am out.  The part about the racial harassment she received from the Hair dept is just and extra level of fucked up, imo.

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4 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

I enjoyed the show for the first half the the season but it seemed like in the second half somebody at the network sent a note saying 'make it more shooty!'.  The first half had been a charming show about what it was like being a rookie.  The second half it decided it wanted to be a cross between Lethal Weapon and Chicago PD with a revolving door of chemistry-less love interests for Nathan Filion.

Afton Williamson was a breath of fresh air on the show.  She made Bishop such a great and instantly charismatic character.  My interest in the show waned sharply in the second half.  It was already on life support when I heard she was leaving.  Now I know I am out.  The part about the racial harassment she received from the Hair dept is just and extra level of fucked up, imo.

I could never get into the show no matter how many episodes I watched. I tried because of Fillian since I was a Castle fan but couldn't get into it. But Bishop was a great character and I really liked her. One of the best if not the best character on the show. 

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22 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I really liked her. One of the best if not the best character on the show. 

I'd say she was far and away the best.  The episode where she and Nolan try to help a homeless mother and child was awesome.

I see that the production company is only looking into her allegations of bullying and sexual harassment after she went public.  It will do her no good now, which is why they waited.

Edited by jhlipton
Update on production company
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In more misogynoir news, ABC caved to the racists and replaced Halle Bailey with Auliʻi Cravalho, who has a mother of Native Hawaiian descent and a father of Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Chinese, and Irish descent.  

So strong in their convictions!!!

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20 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

In more misogynoir news, ABC caved to the racists and replaced Halle Bailey with Auliʻi Cravalho, who has a mother of Native Hawaiian descent and a father of Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Chinese, and Irish descent.  

So strong in their convictions!!!

No they didn’t. Auli’i is gong to be Ariel in a live performance of the Broadway play that’s airing on ABC in November. That announcement doesn’t have anything to do with the live action movie that is in the works. 

Edited by Guest
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From ABC's press release:

Quote

Auli'i Cravalho, Queen Latifah and Shaggy to Star in Live Production

To honor the 30th anniversary of one of the most beloved Disney films of all time, The Wonderful World of Disney and ABC are proud to present a spectacular, live musical event showcasing "The Little Mermaid." The announcement was made today by Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. This special tribute to the original animated classic and its timeless music will take viewers on a magical adventure under the sea as live musical performances by a star-studded cast will be interwoven into the broadcast of the original feature film. ...

"The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live!" will air TUESDAY, NOV. 5 (8:00 - 10:00 p.m. EST), live on ABC.

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I don't believe I've seen this reported here.. but it looks like the On My Block cast got their raises from Netflix and Season 3 filming is underway.  According to Deadline, they did not get the 250,00 per episode ask (which was their negotiation start), but supposedly got at least triple or more their current salary estimated to be anywhere from 60,000 - 80,00 per episode.

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5 hours ago, Dani said:

No they didn’t. Auli’i is gong to be Ariel in a live performance of the Broadway play that’s airing on ABC in November. That announcement doesn’t have anything to do with the live action movie that is in the works. 

I didn't realize that there were two live versions in the works (and I think one of the articles I saw said that Auli’i is replacing Halle, but they could be confused as well).

Thanks for the info.

Quote

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/little-mermaid-live-starring-aulii-cravalho-set-at-abc-1229130

The new ABC live concert take arrives as parent company Disney is also plotting a live-action musical with singer-actress Halle Bailey set to topline the feature film. Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina co-star and lend their voices to other live-action and CG parts. Rob Marshall will direct. Production begins in early 2020.

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I don't believe I've seen this reported here.. but it looks like the On My Block cast got their raises from Netflix and Season 3 filming is underway.  According to Deadline, they did not get the 250,00 per episode ask (which was their negotiation start), but supposedly got at least triple or more their current salary estimated to be anywhere from 60,000 - 80,00 per episode.

Good for them!

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