Race & Ethnicity On TV

[jhlipton]

On October 16, 2016 at 7:53 PM, DeLurker said:

I actively resisted bringing this very sore choice up because it still makes the collective blood in my family boil!  Thanks Jhlipton!

My pleasure -- any time!!! LOL

 

I gave a pass to Timeless because the ads made it look like it was two white heroes and their black "chauffeur".  I'll give it a look if that's not the case.

[Chaos Theory]

3 hours ago, jhlipton said:

My pleasure -- any time!!! LOL

 

I gave a pass to Timeless because the ads made it look like it was two white heroes and their black "chauffeur".  I'll give it a look if that's not the case.

It's not the case.  Now again this comes from "white person" but three episodes in and all three episodes (especially the Lincoln one) have dealt heavily with Rufus being the black guy in time where there is no good periods for black guys in time.  The most recent episode had him "joking" that he was able to procure the group outfits because his superpower was being invisible in the current time period they were in.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[DearEvette]

I was gonna pass on Timeless too.  But the charm of the first episode sucked me in.  And yes, Rufus' frank discussion of race is nice.  It has a great balance imo.  He's right there is no time in US history where stuff isn't kinda bad for him.  But I do hope they get over to Europe at some point where it isn't as bad and he doesn't have to be treated to the indignities he did in the first ep.

Also, I hope they expand on what they hinted at with the second ep.  While the two white characters were off doing stuff with the Lincoln assassination and the big names in history we all know about, Rufus had his own subplot with a black Civil War regiment.  That ep made a point of showing that even tho the BIG stuff gets put in the history books, there are every day normal, unnamed people who are critical to the movement of history.  Like, Rufus actually stopped this one guy from getting to Lincoln,  but when they got back to the present time, the history books gave credit to a white guy.  I liked that little nod to irony.  So it would be great if that got incorporated more where Rufus interacting with black & brown folk becomes pivotal in some way in their missions.  Kind like how the movie Hidden Figures is revealing the important contributions a few black female mathematicians made to the space race.  So it isn't just about always showing him in an uncomfortable place.

[Silver Raven]

There are rumors that there will be a spinoff from Empire, about young Cookie and Lucious.

[Dee]

Those rumors have been circulating for awhile but nothing has been written in stone.

FOX execs are most likely waiting to see how Star performs before they green light a spinoff.

[callie lee 29]

I saw the first episode of Timeless. It was intriguing, and I like the cast. I do like how they're not just ignoring the race issue (the first episode was about the Hindenburg disaster, so you're looking at late 30's) although it came across as a little cavalier by the main female protagonist (the time travelers are white female historian, white male soldier, black male scientist/tech guy). It was like she sympathized with the guy it's not a great situation for him and then turns around and was all "Oohh history. Pretty." Kinda irritated me.  It is a pilot though, and I do want to give a little room to feel their way into some of this. 

[Kromm]

Gonna cheat and post a bit of movie news here (although the movie also conveniently has an animated TV spinoff we can talk about too):

James Gunn promises Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will "run all over" the Bechdel test

[jhlipton]

Hey, producers, directors and sow-runners, want to know what "diversity" really looks like?  Check out the "Time Warp" scene from the Fox production of RHPS.  Hey, they got people of all colors in both genders!!!!  And the universe didn't come to an end.

Maybe, stop beginning with a white story and casting to match; and come up with a diverse story instead!  Nah, that's too much work.  So much easier to say "I'm not a racist!".

[Trini]

On 10/11/2016 at 10:08 PM, phoenics said:

Well, Supergirl aired last night and the writers very poorly axed (we think permanently) the interracial pairing of James and Kara.  This left a very "Saved by the Bell" Zack and Lisa hack job taste in my mouth.

In somewhat related interracial couple news; on The Flash, Barry and Iris, and Wally and Jesse are moving forward. (Although Jesse had to leave.)

[Dee]

Family Matters: How Shows Like Empire Are Redefining Black Families on TV

Quote

For decades, black families were represented exclusively on shiny 30-minute sitcoms. Now, we finally have TV shows like Empire, Greenleaf, and Queen Sugar that reveal black families as complicated and conflicted.

[jhlipton]

3 hours ago, Dee said:

For decades, black families were represented exclusively on shiny 30-minute sitcoms. Now, we finally have TV shows like Empire, Greenleaf, and Queen Sugar that reveal black families as complicated and conflicted.

You mean... black people are people?  GASP!

[In2You]

On 10/14/2016 at 11:40 AM, Archery said:

I realized the other day that my thought process goes like this when I'm watching a preview of a movie or TV show:  All white cast.  Yawn.  Bored.  Moving on.  It just feels so been-there-done-that. (But I'm only in the relevant demographic for one more year, so the suits don't really care what I think anymore.)

Thankfully I'm in that relevant demo and will be for awhile and this is my thought process as well. I find it hard to even pay attention to productions will lily white casts existing in their own bubble.

[In2You]

On 10/7/2016 at 4:40 PM, Neurochick said:

So the issue really isn't that the actresses are biracial, it's more what they look like; for example Kylie Bunbury's mother is white; yet she doesn't look like Jennifer Beals or Zoe Kravitz.  In fact, when I first saw her, I had no idea her mother was white; like I had no idea when I first saw Lauren London, that her father was white, Serayah who plays Tianna on Empire is another example, I didn't know her mother was white either. 

If it's about what the character looks like then I agree, they should cast based on how the character is supposed to look.

Serayah does not have a white mother. Both her parents are black. She just likes to claim mixed because she has one non black grandparent

[Trini]

1 hour ago, In2You said:

Serayah does not have a white mother. Both her parents are black. She just likes to claim mixed because she has one non black grandparent

 

I'd say one can legitimately claim to be 'mixed' if one has a non-black grandparent; however, I'm the same situation, so I might be biased.

[galax-arena]

Regardless of how Glenn's death was handled on the Walking Dead, it made me happy to see such an outpouring of love for an Asian character on television. I got a kick out of one newspaper actually writing an obituary for him.

Hollywood likes to justify whitewashing by blaming the audience and saying that viewers are racist, but I think the reaction to Glenn shows that if you put in the work to write a well-rounded character - Glenn wasn't treated as merely a token or some sort of racial caricature - people will often respond to that. 

Edited October 31, 2016 by galax-arena

[Dee]

TV's making progress on diversity, but it's motivated by money

Quote

When it comes to racial and ethnic diversity, compared to movies TV is a rainbow coalition.

This year's #OscarsSoWhite campaign targeted the film industry, but midway through the fall TV season, with all 20 new shows now airing, more than a third of the actors on major-network sitcoms and dramas are racially or ethnically diverse, according to USA TODAY research. 

Eighteen series have minority actors in lead roles, up from just six five years ago, with ABC and Fox leading the way.

And more shows are highlighting diverse themes and experiences, not just sprinkling black, Latino or Asian-American actors into their casts.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Dee

[xaxat]

I can't wait until CBS' lily white lineups collapse in a demographic ratings avalanche.

[In2You]

19 minutes ago, xaxat said:

I can't wait until CBS' lily white lineups collapse in a demographic ratings avalanche.

I'm waiting for Hallmark to experience a collapse so they can stop feeding their black viewers that be line about working towards diversity while continuing to cast only white leads. 

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, xaxat said:

I can't wait until CBS' lily white lineups collapse in a demographic ratings avalanche.

After taking a look at CBS' current prime time lineup, I don't see why you would call it lily white.  Yes, there could be more diversity, especially in lead roles, but there are a lot of actors of color scattered across their lineup.

[maraleia]

23 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

After taking a look at CBS' current prime time lineup, I don't see why you would call it lily white.  Yes, there could be more diversity, especially in lead roles, but there are a lot of actors of color scattered across their lineup.

Correct me if I'm wrong peeps but isn't it also the problem that almost all the showrunners, writers and directors of CBS shows are white?

[proserpina65]

9 minutes ago, maraleia said:

Correct me if I'm wrong peeps but isn't it also the problem that almost all the showrunners, writers and directors of CBS shows are white?

I wouldn't say you were wrong at all.

[xaxat]

27 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

After taking a look at CBS' current prime time lineup, I don't see why you would call it lily white.  Yes, there could be more diversity, especially in lead roles, but there are a lot of actors of color scattered across their lineup.

I think that's the important part. It seems that POCs on CBS are either part of a "buddy" situation (Sherlock, NCIS:LA) or are part of an ensemble cast (Hawaii 5-0). Compare that too their slate of new shows this fall which all feature white men as the clear stars. Matt LeBlanc, Kevin James, Joe McHale, that guy from NCIS. . . 

[vibeology]

20 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

After taking a look at CBS' current prime time lineup, I don't see why you would call it lily white.  Yes, there could be more diversity, especially in lead roles, but there are a lot of actors of color scattered across their lineup.

For me one of the obvious problems is that all the new shows on CBS this year feature white leads. Every single one and that is crazy considering one of their new shows is Training Day, but they went an flipped it so the Denzel part is being played by Bill Paxton and the rookie is black. I haven't looked, but I am certain you can't say this about any of the other major networks this year.

In addition, I don't think a scattering of color is okay in 2016. And I mean, it is a scattering at best and it doesn't seem like CBS cares to correct this problem. Does Man With A Plan even have a poc as a regular on the show?

[Ms Blue Jay]

Entertainment Weekly just released an article about this.  Funnily enough it's the latest issue with Glenn from Walking Dead on the cover.

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/11/01/cbs-male-comedies

For my money This is Us is the best show of the fall season and the writers/casting people have managed to create a 'white family show' yet half the cast is black.  It's a wonderful show.  (I don't want to reveal any spoilers you have to see the pilot!)  It doesn't do the colour-blind thing, it deals with race head on.

Also I wasn't sure what to think of Atlanta at first but halfway through the season I kind of got my mind blown.  It's brilliant.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[proserpina65]

4 hours ago, xaxat said:

I think that's the important part. It seems that POCs on CBS are either part of a "buddy" situation (Sherlock, NCIS:LA) or are part of an ensemble cast (Hawaii 5-0). Compare that too their slate of new shows this fall which all feature white men as the clear stars. Matt LeBlanc, Kevin James, Joe McHale, that guy from NCIS. . . 

I don't disagree with you at all on this point.

Quote

 Does Man With A Plan even have a poc as a regular on the show?

I've made a concerted effort to avoid this show so I couldn't tell you.

[In2You]

Minorities are proven to watch TV so theres really no excuse.  And the way I watched TV now if the content on the network isn't diverse enough I rarely tune in. 

I really haven't watched CBS in awhile.

I love a good cheesy TV movie but bland white movie overload made me stop watching Hallmark much in favor of Up and PixL.  A couple of years ago during the holidays my TV would be tuned there everyday now it will be tuned on more diverse movies. 

Edited November 5, 2016 by In2You

[Dee]

Casting Directors Under Pressure to Represent Today’s America in Film, TV

[maraleia]

2 hours ago, Dee said:

Casting Directors Under Pressure to Represent Today’s America in Film, TV

You know what. It's not really the casting directors, it's the people in charge of the networks and studios and production companies who are resisting with the exception of a small amount of them.

[Dee]

Asian-Americans in Media: Persistence, Presence and Representation Are Keys to Progress

[HunterHunted]

On Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 5:52 PM, angora said:

Still on The Good Place, but a slightly different subject... (spoilers for a plot point that happened a few weeks ago.)

I'm of two minds about the Jianyu reveal.  On the one hand, I get that, if they wanted to have another character turn out to be there by mistake in the same way that Eleanor is, Jianyu was their best bet.  It would've been weird to reveal that Chidi didn't belong in the Good Place, since he already knew about Eleanor's secret, plus that character pairing works a lot better if Eleanor and Chidi are genuine opposites.  Tahani would've been too obvious, since Eleanor was already suspicious of her and trying to prove that she wasn't as "good" as she seemed; instead, Tahani was basically Jianyu's red herring.  Michael and Janet aren't actually human, so neither of them would've been "chosen" for the Good Place anyway.  That left Jianyu as the only other main cast member who could've been given a surprise reveal.  Not to mention, he'd had the least to do so far, and the flip from Jianyu to Jason was certainly a big change.  Like an earlier poster said, I also like that Jason isn't any sort of typical Asian stereotype - when it comes to not-the-sharpest-tool Filipino bros, Josh Chan from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is still my favorite, but Jason is entertaining.

That said, I'm kind of disappointed not to have Jianyu as a genuine character.  "Buddhist monk under a vow of silence" is definitely a stereotype for Asians in movies/TV, but even though it's a familiar image, it's not a familiar CHARACTER - does that make sense?  Though I'm not sure how well the show would've pulled it off, I was interested in seeing this Buddhist monk fleshed out as an actual person rather than just a shorthand image of inner peace.  Whether it would've been through the show finding creative ways for Jianyu to convey meaning without speech or if he would've eventually ceased his vow of silence, I wanted to know what he was like as a person and what he thought about The Good Place.  A character like that feels VERY original to me, and while I enjoy Jason, I wish I could've really seen Jianyu.

Now that the show has introduced the real Eleanor, I wonder how long before we get the real Jianyu.

[DearEvette]

On 11/2/2016 at 5:48 PM, In2You said:

Minorities are proven to watch TV so theres really no excuse.  And the way I watched TV now if the content on the network isn't diverse enough I rarely tune in. 

Yeah, this pretty much me.  I figure I've been watching tv for almost 40 years.  I've been inundated all my tv watching life with very little to no diversity.  Since it seems to be happening I am going to totally curate my shows on how much diversity there is.

I will admit this season is one the best so far as far as I am concerned especially because I have been thirsty for black representation especially.  In the case of shows  like Queen Sugar, Atlanta, This is Us, Insecure, and Pitch they are showcasing the diversity within black characterization.  The Bordelons on Queen Sugar are as different from Paperboi and Earn from Atlanta as you can possibly get.  Heck the Bordelon siblings themselves are all so wildly different from each other, they are a diversity panel all on their own.  

And don't even get me started on the women. Nova, Charley, Issa, Ginny, Molly, Beth, Evelyn, Misty and Van -- none of them are the same.   It is nice to finally have the numbers to showcase the difference instead of having the to depend on the 'there can be only one' model.

I will also give it up to a show like Pitch that actually casts very diversely.  Not only is Ginny, Blip, Evelyn are black but Oscar is Latino, Elliot is Asian and now David who plays Mike's ex's new fiance is a Middle Eastern guy. 

Edited November 6, 2016 by DearEvette

[jhlipton]

On 11/2/2016 at 10:31 PM, maraleia said:

You know what. It's not really the casting directors, it's the people in charge of the networks and studios and production companies who are resisting with the exception of a small amount of them.

ALL of the above.  Each and everyone of them has to take ownership of the problem and start casting more minorities.

[Dee]

New Wave of African-American Shows Sweeps TV

Quote

“Luke Cage” creator Cheo Hodari Coker says that when he was working in a DJ collective as a student at Stanford University in the 1990s, a white fraternity once begged them to play the hard-edged rap they reserved for black frat parties. The set went over so well they stopped keeping separate playlists. Mr. Coker says the same sort of thing is happening on TV as more African American storytellers find that audiences are eager to see shows presented in the most uncompromised way, with black stars, themes and settings.

“It used to be if you were doing a story that was black on TV, you had to filter it,” says Mr. Coker, whose “Luke Cage” series follows a superhero’s adventures in Harlem. “We don’t have to filter our stories anymore."

Edited November 6, 2016 by Dee

[xaxat]

I've been swamped by that wave.

Atlanta I watch live or next day. Still working through Luke Cage, The Get Down and Queen Sugar. Can't find time for Blackish, which I enjoyed when I will still watching. Would like to find time for Insecure and Pitch. And I need to watch season one of Empire because at the last family reunion my cousins made fun of me for being "the one" (Black person) who hadn't seen it.

[Popples]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

I've been swamped by that wave.

Atlanta I watch live or next day. Still working through Luke Cage, The Get Down and Queen Sugar. Can't find time for Blackish, which I enjoyed when I will still watching. Would like to find time for Insecure and Pitch. And I need to watch season one of Empire because at the last family reunion my cousins made fun of me for being "the one" (Black person) who hadn't seen it.

Now you've met the second one; but I have no intention of watching it.

[jhlipton]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

I've been swamped by that wave.

Atlanta I watch live or next day. Still working through Luke Cage, The Get Down and Queen Sugar. Can't find time for Blackish, which I enjoyed when I will still watching. Would like to find time for Insecure and Pitch. And I need to watch season one of Empire because at the last family reunion my cousins made fun of me for being "the one" (Black person) who hadn't seen it.

Pitch is awesome!  "Ginny Baker" is a gorgeous 20-something (Kylie Bunbury, who plays the character, is 27) who, after 6 episodes, has not been hypersexualized.  Her "Nike deal" (a logical product-placement) is about her as an athlete, not a model.  It's a fun show, and Bunbury is a joy to watch.

[HunterHunted]

17 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Pitch is awesome!  "Ginny Baker" is a gorgeous 20-something (Kylie Bunbury, who plays the character, is 27) who, after 6 episodes, has not been hypersexualized.  Her "Nike deal" (a logical product-placement) is about her as an athlete, not a model.  It's a fun show, and Bunbury is a joy to watch.

That's good to hear. I suffered through Twisted for Kylie and Avan Jogia. Unfortunately the show decided to focus on the white lead. It's not that she was a bad actress, but the writing was so terrible for her character. They never have Kylie much on the show, but she managed to do good work with what little she was given.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Lots of people that I follow on Twitter are declaring Moonlight to be 1) a fantastic movie 2) best movie of 2016 3) some have even said the best movie THEY'VE EVER SEEN.  Unfortunately, there's always going to be people like Kyle Smith: (Brit Bennett's great response at the bottom has already gone viral.)

Edited November 7, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

While we're doing our reviews

I love Fresh off the Boat personally, but never bothered to get into Black-ish.  I don't think I ever will what with Anthony Anderson's checkered history.
I just started watching Girlfriends though, and it's really cute.

Pitch:  I'm a baseball freak, and I love the show.  Kylie is super gorgeous and I love Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Ali Larter so it's been a no-brainer for me so far.  
Empire:  You're not missing much.  Season 1 was fantastic, and I stayed with the show much longer than I should have, but I feel like the teeth that made Cookie one of the best characters on television have been completely filed down.  Meh.
Atlanta:  It is really slow paced and almost dream-like at first, but halfway through the season I decided that the show is brilliant.  Grade A.  Would recommend to anyone!
Insecure:  I don't think I can stick with this one.  When I'm bored, I think I'll go back, but I have no urgency to see the show from week to week.  It's slow and not a lot happens plot-wise.  I think it's more observational with vignettes.  Maybe I'll feel differently later on.
Luke Cage:  I'm such a HUGE fan of Jessica Jones Season 1, and I love Mike Colter!  So I really wanted to get into this.  But that first episode was so violent.  I don't think I can stay on past that.
This is Us:   I think I already sung the praises of This is Us but it's hard to stop.  My favourite show of the Fall 2016 season.  I love it, and everyone I know loves it.  Hard for me to remember a recent show that was as unanimously loved or even known among my circle of friends and family.

I haven't gotten into The Get Down or Queen Sugar yet.

Edited November 7, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[galax-arena]

Lots of people that I follow on Twitter are declaring Moonlight to be 1) a fantastic movie 2) best movie of 2016 3) some have even said the best movie THEY'VE EVER SEEN.  

Tangent: What makes me laugh is that Nate Parker has said homophobic bs about he'd never play a gay character in order to "preserve the black man," so you know that he's internally throwing a tantrum that a gay movie like Moonlight has completely stolen Birth of a Nation's thunder as one of the best movies of 2016, much less one of the best movies by a black filmmaker. Seethe, Parker, seethe. 

[cynic]

I just binged the first several episodes of Pitch and feel like I've spotted a unicorn. Not only is the show centered on a young black female and her journey, but it also seems to be setting up an OTP-style romance with her costar that looks like it will be healthy and based on mutual caring and respect if it does happen. However people feel about shipping aside, black females have gotten such short shrift in both having their POV stories told and in being seen as romantic figures l that I really hope this show runs with this ship. Plus, the leads have great chemistry and a lovely ease with each other. 

On 10/16/2016 at 6:47 PM, possibilities said:

Is anyone watching "Timeless"? One of the three people in a team of time travelers is a Black man, and they are making a point in every episode (there have been only 2 so far, but it seems to be something they're serious about) that wherever they go in "American history" it's going to be rotten for him. He's allowed to express disgust and anger, the two white people he "travels" with are sympathetic to the problem, and they are also showing specific things from the relevant time periods.

....

 

Timeless has a bit of a throwback kinda goofy feel in a Voyagers! or Sliders kind of way, I'm digging it though. I'm a sucker for time travel stories in general, goofy or not, but Rufus is what really sold me on it. I was worried that he would just be a token sidekick, but the show is pretty balanced. Rufus is important to the show and he has his own storyline and motivations. And yes, they tackle race head on. I appreciate that because those types of considerations are rarely addressed even when there are poc in the stories (unless that's the point of it all) and the perspective is just refreshingly new as well as being personally relevant for me. Of course, some people don't appreciate it as much it seems. I've seen a few complaints that the show is trying to portray white people as bad and/or force guilt over racism down their throats. Oh yeah, there was the more "reasonable" complaint that dealing with racism was a realistic storyline for Rufus or any other poc, but the poster doesn't want to deal with stuff like that in his scifi, so the answer was that the show should've made all three leads white as to not intefere with his enjoyment. Smh.

I can't seem to edit out the video embedded in the partial quote.

Edited November 7, 2016 by cynic

[Chaos Theory]

I think Timeless is handling race well without beating anyone's head in with it.  The past is what it is.  A black man is traveling around in for the most part America's history which would certainly not be very fun for him and the show acknowledges that.  However it also doesn't let itself get bogged down in it either.  

[cynic]

I agree. I think what some people mean by "shoved down their throats" is it being acknowledged at all. The show isn't heavy handed with it, but racism is a real and influential part of our history and I'm glad the show doesn't completely gloss over it.

[possibilities]

The idea that Timeless is too heavy just blows my mind. I mean, Rufus is not even close to the "angry black man" trope, and he doesn't dwell on the racism. It just happens, and the show notes it, and then everyone goes about the business of whatever. I mean, in the Alamo episode, he even has fun with and enjoys some of the people he meets in the past, and he mostly uncomplainingly abides by the rule of trying not to change the past (white Wyatt complains way more, and not because of racism either), and the racism is not even close to the central focus. But some people want a total whitewash.

I don't even think Timeless is that great of a show, overall. But criticizing it on the basis of it being "anti-white" strikes me as beyond absurd; it's more of a frothy adventure than any kind of polemic. And there are plenty of "good white people" and loyalty and teamwork across races. If someone can't tell the difference between "racism is bad" and "white people are bad," that says a lot more about them than about the show.

[HunterHunted]

3 hours ago, cynic said:

I agree. I think what some people mean by "shoved down their throats" is it being acknowledged at all. The show isn't heavy handed with it, but racism is a real and influential part of our history and I'm glad the show doesn't completely gloss over it.

It's completely ridiculous that some people don't want unpleasant aspects of history acknowledged even with the lightest of touches. Hell, Legends of Tomorrow just had episode where they showed a slave master whipping a female slave. He was later eaten by zombies so...karma.

I started watching Timeless because of Malcolm Barrett who plays Rufus (I wonder if his name is a Bill & Ted joke). I loved him on Better Off Ted. I love that show. The motion sensor episode is a classic and I giggled everytime the show slipped in another visual gag about how evil the company they worked for was (plans for the deathstar, schematics for daleks, there might have even been a terminator in the background).

[allyw]

3 hours ago, cynic said:

I just binged the first several episodes of Pitch and feel like I've spotted a unicorn. Not only is the show centered on a young black female and her journey, but it also seems to be setting up an OTP-style romance with her costar that looks like it will be healthy and based on mutual caring and respect if it does happen. However people feel about shipping aside, black females have gotten such short shrift in both having their POV stories told and in being seen as romantic figures l that I really hope this show runs with this ship. Plus, the leads have great chemistry and a lovely ease with each other. 

Timeless has a bit of a throwback kinda goofy feel in a Voyagers! or Sliders kind of way, I'm digging it though. I'm a sucker for time travel stories in general, goofy or not, but Rufus is what really sold me on it. I was worried that he would just be a token sidekick, but the show is pretty balanced. Rufus is important to the show and he has his own storyline and motivations. And yes, they tackle race head on. I appreciate that because those types of considerations are rarely addressed even when there are poc in the stories (unless that's the point of it all) and the perspective is just refreshingly new as well as being personally relevant for me. Of course, some people don't appreciate it as much it seems. I've seen a few complaints that the show is trying to portray white people as bad and/or force guilt over racism down their throats. Oh yeah, there was the more "reasonable" complaint that dealing with racism was a realistic storyline for Rufus or any other poc, but the poster doesn't want to deal with stuff like that in his scifi, so the answer was that the show should've made all three leads white as to not intefere with his enjoyment. Smh.

I can't seem to edit out the video embedded in the partial quote.

I've never seen Timeless so I can't comment on that but something that I've been noticing in both real life and online is that some people are more upset when racism gets acknowledge rather than the fact that it was actually happening and someone was being affected negatively by it.

[jhlipton]

9 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Luke Cage:  I'm such a HUGE fan of Jessica Jones Season 1, and I love Mike Colter!  So I really wanted to get into this.  But that first episode was so violent.  I don't think I can stay on past that.

Just so you know, that level is fairly consistent throughout (and even higher at some points) so I think you made the right decision.

7 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think Timeless is handling race well without beating anyone's head in with it. 

The villain is just too goofy for me. When he showed up at Santa Ana's tent with that "snake-oil saleman's" smile, I couldn't figure out why Santa Ana wouldn't just have such a repulsive slime shot and take his gold. I just couldn't watch.

 

7 hours ago, cynic said:

I agree. I think what some people mean by "shoved down their throats" is it being acknowledged at all. The show isn't heavy handed with it, but racism is a real and influential part of our history and I'm glad the show doesn't completely gloss over it.

One thing that's "funny" -- the usual "I'm not a racist" crowd were complaining that Luke Cage is "too black", but actually there was one less black person than there should have been:  Comics-Claire and Night Nurse were merged to create Claire Temple.  Both original characters are black, but TV Claire is Hispanic.

[Dee]

Rosario Dawson is afrolatina, so how is Claire not Black?

[jhlipton]

6 minutes ago, Dee said:

Rosario Dawson is afrolatina, so how is Claire not Black?

Luke specifically mentions Claire's national origin (although I'm banking on whether it was Cuban, Dominican or other) with no mention of her being black as well.  So, for me at least, the character was Hispanic not afrolatina.

[Dee]

Nationality isn't the same as race.