"Star," "Insecure," "Dear White People" and More: American Diversity Story

First off I miss NBCamp8217s The Carmichael Show pictured belowamp160 Like many other shows with black leadsamp160it was cancelled last year amp160Even considering my general aversion to multicam sitcoms TCS proved itself to be as dope as it gets and that was honestly less because it was black and more because it was honest amp160Since its debut in 2015 it had been very successful in rounding up and tackling all the most recent and divisive sociopolitical issues in the healthiest funniest and most objective manner possibleamp160 My editor tells me it was reminiscent of All in the Family a groundbreaking sitcom from the amp821670s that came and went way before my timeAll of that work and what was the resultamp160 Cancellation amp160Itamp8217s a clear indication that 40plus years after the Bunkers became the first family of American television the country wasnamp8217t ready for a mirror to be held in its face again which is unfortunateamp160because TCS fearlessly brought up the touchiest of topics and thereamp8217s some shit going on today that I wouldamp8217ve loved to hear Jerrodamp8217s opinion onCarmichaelamp8217s show wasnamp8217t the only casualty of the year Underground 24 Legacy The Get Down The Breaks and Shots Firedamp160among way too many other shows with black leads all bit the dust in 2017 amp160Iamp8217m sure there are legitimate reasons why this kind of thing happens but the fact that the greatest similarity between all these shows is the overall hue of their respective casts is enough to make me wonderAnd then thereamp8217s the apparent cancellation of ABCamp8217s freshman comedy The Mayoramp160amp160despite it having been hailed last year by critics and advertisers as the most promising new sitcom of the 201718 season amp160Dude barely had a chanceamp160 ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey told the TCA last week that the show was quickly pulled not only because its ratings went down every week but its delayed viewing numbers were also in continuous declineamp160 BummerOn the other hand black TV did enjoyamp160some victories amp160Dear White People Spike Leeamp8217s Sheamp8217s Gotta Have It and four standup specials from Dave Chappelle all graced the Netflix roster last year amp160Each of the aforementioned franchises ignited conversations about the black experience in present day America and gave an accurate voice to the types of people being depicted ie their target audience in most casesMost recently grownish debuted on Freeform amp160Here39s my review amp160Itamp8217s got a supermulticultural cast and a lead who was cherrypicked from what was already one of the hottest black shows on TV ABCamp8217s blackishamp160 Issa Raeamp8217s Insecure on HBO was snubbed at award shows but still put out an amazing second seasonamp160 It does social commentary and comedy like nobodyamp8217s businessIt isnamp8217t all about color though amp160Gender equality has become one of many hot button issues in recent years and although representation for transgender people in particular has seen an increase statistically according to GLAADamp8217s Annual Report on LGBTQ Inclusion 201617 about 84 of Americans donamp8217t actually know any transgender people and are only exposed to them via their depiction on TV amp160Thatamp8217s what makes the accurate depiction of that group or any group for that matter so important amp160Itamp8217s the way Cotton Amiyah Scott is portrayed on Foxamp8217s Star or Maura is portrayed on Amazonamp8217s Transparent that may shape some soulamp8217s opinion of an entire group of people amp160Scott is pictured top left with costar Miss LawrenceNow is that fair for the creatives who are simply trying to execute their vision amp160Or for the writers simply trying to tell a story amp160Maybe not but itamp8217s not fair for people who turn on their TV and rarely if ever see anyone who looks like them either amp160Itamp8217s not right to never see a culture that resonates with any group represented in a way that isnamp8217t ignorant or offensiveAll of these developments the wins the losses add up to the fact that even though the diversity movement has taken some hits itamp8217s still gaining ground amp160Even neurodiversity a category that doesnamp8217t find itself in the limelight as often as race or gender has enjoyed increased awareness through shows like ABCamp8217s Speechless now in its second season and The Good Doctor the hottest new broadcast drama of the seasonThe point is that yes offensive depictions of minorities have definitely decreased and been replaced by more realistic empathetic takes on these groups but thereamp8217s obviously still work to be doneamp160 Just because one wins a couple battles doesnamp8217t mean that people arenamp8217t suffering from the waramp160 Equality is a basic concept and a fundamental right regardless of whatever the hatefilled rhetoric clouding up your feed is trying to tell youI for one wonamp8217t be happy until the need for this conversation no longer existsClick on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

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"Star," "Insecure," "Dear White People" and More: American Diversity Story

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Ainsley Andrade

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"Star," "Insecure," "Dear White People" and More: American Diversity Story

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