Race & Ethnicity On TV

[vibeology]

On ‎11‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 5:44 PM, xaxat said:

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

I know we've talked about this already, but more proof that CBS isn't interested in producing new shows about poc:

Sheldon Cooper Spin-off

The majority of the cast will be white again, since Sheldon and his family are white (We've already met his mother and twin sister on TBBT so that just leaves his awful alcoholic father and one other brother). Maybe Sheldon will have a teacher or a neighbor or a classmate who isn't white but it's pretty sad when one character out of 6 or 7 will have to be good enough in what will be 2017. This obviously is about cashing in on what is already a cash cow so from a business standpoint its hard to blame CBS but by going forward with this it leaves less space on next year's schedule for shows about people of color.

[Ms Blue Jay]

It's so interesting to compare the CBS lineup to that of like, Fox or ABC.  And Survivor (CBS) is one of my favourite shows, but I always wish it was more diverse.  Some seasons it seems like there's a quota of majority white contestants with the 'diverse contestants' sprinkled in.  I won't get into this season because I hate spoiling a current season for people.  I compared it to a show like Project Runway which is also an American reality show but always is an incredibly diverse show with different cultures, sexual orientations, races represented - and contestants are often not even from America!  Some of them barely use English as a second/third language.  Obviously PR is on Lifetime which must have a different kind of freedom or people in charge. I  would never notice a glaring lack of non-whites on a show like PR because it seemingly never happens.

Edited November 8, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[DearEvette]

Even outside of their demographic challenges, CBS shows just are not my cup of tea.  They are all these procedural shows.  They feel soulless. 

I do find it interesting that out of all the CBS shows the one that is arguably more diverse, the Good Wife spinoff is being shown solely on their subscription streaming service.  As will the new Star Trek show (which, is also being talked up for its commitment to diversity).   So basically the messaging by CBS is if you really want more diversity you have it pay extra for it.  No thanks.  That is what pirating is for.

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I compared it to a show like Project Runway which is also an American reality show but always is an incredibly diverse show with different cultures, sexual orientations, races represented - and contestants are often not even from America!  Some of them barely use English as a second/third language.  Obviously PR is on Lifetime which must have a different kind of freedom or people in charge. I  would never notice a glaring lack of non-whites on a show like PR because it seemingly never happens.

IMO, this is directly related to the people in charge. PR has Heidi as an executive producer.   I'll be she has a lot of creative input more than just as a host of the show. 

[possibilities]

I agree CBS has a problem, but I disagree that the "young Sheldon" show has to be lily white just because it features young Sheldon and his immediate family. They live in Texas. Sheldon will go to school, have neighbors, etc. There's really no reason whatsoever that the show should be white. It probably will be, because CBS is stupid. But realistically, it could easily be a very diverse show if anyone making it wanted it to be. Even if the nuclear family of Coopers was white-- and we've already met his mother and twin sister, so it probably will be-- they could easily have significant characters who aren't, including nearby family members who are a big part of their lives-- cousins, in-laws, etc. Plus the neighbors, people at school and the parents' work, etc. Sheldon's mother is big on church, so they also have a lot of possibilities in that direction. I doubt they'll make good use of the opportunity, because they haven't done so on Big Bang Theory or other CBS shows. But if they wanted to, it would be easy enough to make it happen. Sheldon supposedly went to college as a very young child, so there's that setting, also.

[Neurochick]

When I was growing up, it was understood that CBS was an "old people's network," now this was in the 1960's, and CBS had shows like "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Green Acres," "Petticoat Junction," "Andy Griffith," shows for a certain demographic.  I think CBS has always been that way and will always be that way, as long as they have an audience.  Why change what isn't broken?

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, Neurochick said:

When I was growing up, it was understood that CBS was an "old people's network," now this was in the 1960's, and CBS had shows like "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Green Acres," "Petticoat Junction," "Andy Griffith," shows for a certain demographic.  I think CBS has always been that way and will always be that way, as long as they have an audience.  Why change what isn't broken?

CBS more then any other network has found what works for them.  Yes it would be nice to add a little color to their lineup but look at what their lineup mostly is.  Procedurals, half funny comedies and the occasional drama that breaks through for whatever reason but rarely lasts long because it doesn't fit CBS's brand.  I doubt CBS would turn away POC if they brought them either a trite procedural or a half funny comedy.

[DearEvette]

36 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I doubt CBS would turn away POC if they brought them either a trite procedural or a half funny comedy.

Yeah they would.  They didn't greenlight the Nancy Drew series starring a Sarah Shahi as the main character because...ahem.. it was "too female."  And make no mistake, this was not a real remake of Nancy Drew as an stylish, amateur sleuth tooling around in her sassy roadster.  No she was going to be "re-imagined" as a 30-something police detective. And they were really talking it up saying they wanted to cast Nancy with a non-white actress.  Or rather as they put it "going diverse".  So basically every CBS show ever, just with a female and non-white lead.   

Edited November 8, 2016 by DearEvette

[Silver Raven]

The CW is pretty diverse, and they're part-owned by CBS, but I can see what you mean about the CBS shows itself.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Ugh, thanks for reminding me about the Nancy Drew fiasco.  That's gross.

[jhlipton]

How the heck did Elementary get to CBS?  The two main leads are white and Asian, the second two most recurring characters are white and black, the semi-dimi-recurring characters come in all races.  They can do diverse; they just chose not to.

[paulvdb]

Elementary is also the lowest rated show on CBS, so I guess it's not surprising that their shows are mostly white because that is what CBS viewers are watching. Or maybe there is another reason why people don't watch Elementary. I don't watch any CBS dramas so I don't know why less people watch Elementary than other CBS dramas.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I was into it for the first year.  Maybe part of the second.  I love Lucy Liu.  But for me it was a very muted, slow show.  A lot of those procedurals are the same - I'm sure many have noticed.  Sherlock-type grumpy man who has some kind of unique skill that nobody else seems to have - the crazy genius, and the woman that 'manages' him.  The woman is always strait-laced and sensible.  And of course not a genius.  (I've never watched House but I'll go ahead and assume.  The Mentalist is the same show.  Castle?  etc.)  The formula just kind of wore thin for me I guess.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[paulvdb]

I watched a few episodes of Castle. I tend to like these types of show more if there is a bit of a supernatural twist and ongoing story lines like Lucifer or Sleepy Hollow. But Sleepy Hollow lost Abbie and based on what I've read is going to be a completely different show in the fourth season so I've dropped that from my viewing schedule.

[Neurochick]

16 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

The CW is pretty diverse, and they're part-owned by CBS, but I can see what you mean about the CBS shows itself.

Back to what I wrote previously; when I was a kid, CBS was an older person's network, ABC was for the young, and NBC was in the middle. 

[callie lee 29]

CBS also greenlit the spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior with Forest Whitaker. It wasn't very good, got shitty ratings, and got cancelled, but it did get made. 

[Minneapple]

15 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I was into it for the first year.  Maybe part of the second.  I love Lucy Liu.  But for me it was a very muted, slow show.  A lot of those procedurals are the same - I'm sure many have noticed.  Sherlock-type grumpy man who has some kind of unique skill that nobody else seems to have - the crazy genius, and the woman that 'manages' him.  The woman is always strait-laced and sensible.  And of course not a genius.  (I've never watched House but I'll go ahead and assume.  The Mentalist is the same show.  Castle?  etc.)  The formula just kind of wore thin for me I guess.

Of course most of these shows are loose versions of the original Sherlock Holmes. With Elementary it's just a little more obvious because they kept the names Sherlock and Watson.

[Dee]

 It was amazing last night, to watch the adult members of three extremely different multi-generational Black families (the urban Lyons, the suburban Johnsons & the rural Bordelons) continuously grapple with their hopes for, and expectations of, their children; relative to their own lives and choices.

Each family had/has their own complex histories to navigate, and specific circumstances to contend with, yet all of them were also decidedly universal.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Dee

[Ms Blue Jay]

Tonight I watch "Pitch" at 9 pm, starring a black woman, and "How to Get Away with Murder" at 10 pm, starring a black woman.  Pretty cool.

[kathyk24]

On ‎11‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 2:49 PM, Neurochick said:

When I was growing up, it was understood that CBS was an "old people's network," now this was in the 1960's, and CBS had shows like "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Green Acres," "Petticoat Junction," "Andy Griffith," shows for a certain demographic.  I think CBS has always been that way and will always be that way, as long as they have an audience.  Why change what isn't broken?

CBS was also the home of The Jeffersons and Good Times so they will air sit coms starring Black actors. The problem is their isn't a modern Norman Lear writing scripts.

[Neurochick]

13 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

CBS was also the home of The Jeffersons and Good Times so they will air sit coms starring Black actors. The problem is their isn't a modern Norman Lear writing scripts.

Meaning CBS would only have a black show if a white man was the showrunner.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Neurochick

[jhlipton]

5 hours ago, Neurochick said:

Meaning CBS would only have a black show if a white man was the showrunner.

In those days, every show had a white showrunner, so that can't be the only difference.

[In2You]

On 11/10/2016 at 8:54 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Tonight I watch "Pitch" at 9 pm, starring a black woman, and "How to Get Away with Murder" at 10 pm, starring a black woman.  Pretty cool.

I have a feeling Pitch might end up canceled. They  basically have a problem of the week that gets a nice resolution in the end unlike the other shows with black female leads it doesnt have that can't miss excitement. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I personally really like the show Pitch and am excited to watch it every week.

[jhlipton]

2 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I personally really like the show Pitch and am excited to watch it every week.

Me too

[Dee]

I never understood why Fox paired Pitch with Rosewood.

If anything it should've been paired with Lethal Weapon and Rosewood should've been paired with Bones imo.

[Irlandesa]

Pitch was originally scheduled for 2017 as a midseason replacement but they moved it up when Kerry Washington got pregnant and learned Scandal wouldn't return until 2017.  I'd like to know what it would have been coupled with originally.  Perhaps something more compatible.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Irlandesa

[jhlipton]

Both The Cancellation Bear and TV Grim Reaper have Pitch in "Toss Up" status.  Fox has three hour-long shows that will probably go first, so that's good news.  We'll have to see how it does without the World Series as a back-drop.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Thanks @jhlipton.  I was specifically trying so hard to find this information.  I guess that's better than the worst news it could be.  Mark Paul Gosselaar has somehow gotten a lot of shows so I assume he's good to work with.  Franklin and Bash somehow lasted 4 seasons.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Haleth]

I just discovered Pitch and have been raving about it to everyone I know.  Wonderful show.

[DearEvette]

9 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Both The Cancellation Bear and TV Grim Reaper have Pitch in "Toss Up" status.  Fox has three hour-long shows that will probably go first, so that's good news.  We'll have to see how it does without the World Series as a back-drop.

There is also the fact that the MLB seems heavily involved with Pitch that might help it.  Fox made an announcement that they weren't using Nielsen overnights anymore.  Given that ratings are used to get advertising dollars, they are important in the sense that you can charge more for advertising if they perceive there are more eyeballs on their show.  But Fox has been making noises about different types of revenue streams for different types of shows that don't necessarily rely heavily on advertising dollars and therefore don't rely as much on ratings to make decisions about the show.  And I think with the MLB and Nike as heavily featured sponsors of the show might work in Pitch's favor there.  One can only hope!

Besides if they cancel any 1 hour show this year my fervent hope is that it is the shit show that is Sleepy Hollow.

[jhlipton]

9 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Besides if they cancel any 1 hour show this year my fervent hope is that it is the shit show that is Sleepy Hollow.

Fox has a bunch of shows coming out mid-season, none of which sound very good (other than possibly Star).  I though SH was supposed come out mid-season but I haven't seen any ads yet.

[In2You]

Watched Merry Christmas, Baby! on UP. Always good to see a positive black family on television and even though this movie is the 4th in the series I liked this one the most.  Its so rare to see non white families as leads in Christmas films and I liked that they also touched on the importance of a father's role in his daughter's life.

[topanga]

Random POC sighting: The latest episode of ABC's 'Speechless' features an Asian boy (he's either Chinese or Korean) who's the coolest kid in middle school. No one describes him as the best kid at math or science or violin, but as the character that "everyone" wants to hang out with. It was nice non-stereotypical moment. The kid was kind of a douche, but still.

[possibilities]

Last Man On Earth has an Asian (American) male character that recently joined the group of survivors. He's gay, and this week's episode focused a lot on his grief over losing his partner. We don't know much about him other than that he's gay, and usually fairly grouchy (but usually for good reason) (about half the characters are grouchy, to be honest). He does so far seem to be the only survivor who we know of who had a spouse before "the virus" wiped out all but a handful of people on the planet.

[Bookish Jen]

On 11/12/2016 at 5:54 PM, jhlipton said:

Me too

Mine, too. And I'm not at all into sports. I just think the premise is amazing and I love that the characters, no matter their race or gender, a multi-layered.

[zxy556575]

Doesn't seem like many people are watching, but People of Earth might be worth checking out on TBS. I really like it so far.

It's a comedy about an alien abductee support group (they really were abducted). One of the leads is Wyatt Cenac, a journalist who is newly arrived in town. Da'Vine Joy Randolph plays another support group member and Oscar Nunez has a small recurring role.

Edited November 17, 2016 by lordonia

[jhlipton]

2 hours ago, lordonia said:

Doesn't seem like many people are watching, but People of Earth might be worth checking out on TBS.

I loved Ana Kristina Gasteyer on Suburgatory!

[In2You]

Hallmark has been getting  alot of complaints this year about the lack of diversity on their channels and they basically have nothing to say when they can't post their usual response.

[DearEvette]

There is an anthology series on Netflix called 'Easy' where each episode is a vignette looking at a slice of time in a couple's relationship.  Some are better than others, but they have a nice mix.  AS far as diversity goes, one of them, 'Vegan Cinderella' features Kiersy Clemons as a young lesbian embarking a new relationship.  Another one 'Chemistry Read' features Gugu Mbatha-Raw as an actress who is just ending her relationship with her live-in boyfriend.  One 'Controlada' features an entirely Latinx cast and all the dialogue is spoken entirely in spanish. And finally there are two episodes that features pair of brothers who are thinking about opening a brewery in their garage and Zazie Beetz is in that one.  The whole anthology is interesting and a very easy show to binge through if you;re feeling lazy like I was was.

[jhlipton]

On 11/26/2016 at 8:00 PM, DearEvette said:

There is an anthology series on Netflix called 'Easy' where each episode is a vignette looking at a slice of time in a couple's relationship.  

Sounds like fun -- I'll have to give it a try.

BTW, whenever there is a mixed group or a gender-unknown person, I like to use Latin@, as it combines the "o" and the "a".  Just personal preference.

[zxy556575]

The creators of Gilmore Girls had several years to reconsider their casting choices, but this month's revival remains a whiter shade of pale. (With the exception of Lane, whose "tiger mother" is ... not unstereotypical.)

[Lady Calypso]

2 hours ago, lordonia said:

The creators of Gilmore Girls had several years to reconsider their casting choices, but this month's revival remains a whiter shade of pale. (With the exception of Lane, whose "tiger mother" is ... not unstereotypical.)

Yeah pretty much. Except I will say that when in the second episode, at Chilton, they did actually use a variety of background actors of different races. Although I'm not sure how much that really counts since none of them had speaking roles. So I'll just say you're right because even all the new characters with speaking roles were all white. 

[SparedTurkey]

Please watch First Contact on SBS Australia. There have been previous seasons but this one is currently airing.

If for nothing else I want David Oldfield called out. He is a complete embodiment of all that is wrong with the way Australia thinks about race and more importantly, Aboriginal Australians. He is disgusting. Trump without the votes. I can only hope the channel that airs the mardi gras in the face of Fred Nile is airing him to prove that those views need to die out. Otherwise, if it is for shock value that is equally revolting.

I know Aussie TV doesn't get a lot of air time of this site but this is worth it.

Edited November 30, 2016 by SparedTurkey
change of subject.

[DearEvette]

15 hours ago, lordonia said:

The creators of Gilmore Girls had several years to reconsider their casting choices, but this month's revival remains a whiter shade of pale. (With the exception of Lane, whose "tiger mother" is ... not unstereotypical.)

I only watched the original GG casually through the years, so I am not a die hard fan or anything.  But I am familiar with the characters, so I decided to watch  this one.  I could barely make it past the first 10 minutes it felt so...so... fan servicy.   I slogged through the first episode.  My take-away is that even though ten years have supposedly passed, ASP's treatment of the show is like the last 10 years barely happened.  So it is no surprise there is no new casting, this is a another season of the old show, not a new show. 

But there is Michel.  Who is brown and gay so they got a twofer.

[jhlipton]

On 11/26/2016 at 8:00 PM, DearEvette said:

There is an anthology series on Netflix called 'Easy' where each episode is a vignette looking at a slice of time in a couple's relationship.

I watched the first 4 episodes -- the title is correct; this is an "Easy" show to watch.  And the casting is diverse -- 1 of the 4 had a black woman as co-lead, another had a black woman as a main non-lead character, and a third had 3 Latin@s as the only leads (there was really only one other character -- a white woman).  Only one of the four had only white characters, which is impressive for Hollywood.  

And the women are "Easy" to look at.  One warning: There is a scene that is heavily non-consensual.  

[DearEvette]

@jhlipton - a good companion to Easy is Lovesick you might find that one interesting too.  Also on Netflix.  It features three friends  one of whom is Antonia Thomas (she played Alicia on Misfits).  It is a British show where the central plot is about one of the friends, Dylan, who has learned he has chlamydia so he has to track down all the women he's had sex with to let them know.  Each episode is the name of the woman he's contacted and it goes back and looks at how they met etc.  But the other two friends also have ongoing stories and there is a nice supporting cast.  Dylan is an equal opportunity STD transmitter (LOL) so a couple episodes feature WOC.  And of course Alicia is a main co-lead.  There are two seasons of it. That was also a very "easy" binge.  (What?  i was on vacation last week!)

[roseslg]

Has anyone seen Chewing Gum on Netflix?  I binge-watched it with my husband (who's white) and we both thought it was hilarious.  I was happy that we didn't get the conventional, pretty, light-skinned black woman in the role.    I need to talk to someone about the show!!!!!

[jhlipton]

For some masochistic reason, I watched all 8 episodes of 3%, a Brazilian show about a group of 20-year-olds who go through a series of tests  to determine if they can be part of the 3% who get to leave the slums of the Inland for the wonders of Offshore.  The biggest problem was that the over-all plot was dumb (who is a member of The Cause -- the group that wants to end the tests -- and what do they want?)  The story crosses into diabetes-inducing saccharine far too often.

But as you might expect, it has a multi-racial cast, with a black male and a black female as part of the Core 4 testees, and 2 black women as power-players among the testers. On Netflix, in Brazilian-Portuguese with English subtitles.

[LeeLeePanda]

On 12/1/2016 at 9:54 AM, roseslg said:

Has anyone seen Chewing Gum on Netflix?  I binge-watched it with my husband (who's white) and we both thought it was hilarious.  I was happy that we didn't get the conventional, pretty, light-skinned black woman in the role.    I need to talk to someone about the show!!!!!

I just started watching it. I love it! 

[roseslg]

18 hours ago, LeeLeePanda said:

I just started watching it. I love it! 

I can't wait for season two, but they haven't even started filming yet!   I don't know where they would go in season 2, but I would like to find out.