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Why are women disappearing from network TV?

Something strange is afoot on the small screen: After the past year’s raft of hugely successful female-centric programming (like The Crown, The Handmaid’s Tale, Feud, Big Little Lies— all of which received Emmy nominations), you’d think the slate of new shows announced for fall would continue to build on that progress. Wrong— at least when it comes to network television, that is.

For 2017-18, the basic-channel (i.e., ABC, CBS and NBC) viewing public is being offered programming that is overwhelmingly male...and white. Looking at the big American broadcast players (who are responsible for a sizable chunk of programming on Canadian networks), Variety reported that out of 46 lead roles available, only 33 percent were given to women and only 20 percent to non-white or Hispanic actors. So why has there been no trickle-down effect from cable (e.g., historically-boundary-pushing HBO, Showtime, etc.) to network TV? (All of the banner shows mentioned above are on cable or a streaming service.)

“We’re in the middle of a pushback,” suggests Anne Helen Petersen, author of a new book called Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman. “Network television is an interesting way to look at the lowest common denominator of what’s ‘safe,’” she says. “White masculinity is fragile right now, so people want to see white dudes triumphing—whether it’s procedural, where they get to solve problems, or a sitcom about an aging, overweight white guy with a gorgeous wife. It’s like comfort food for white guys.” (Relevant examples for 2017-18: ABC’s Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, starring Jason Ritter as a down-and-out tasked with saving the world; CBS’ Wisdom of the Crowd, starring Jeremy Piven as a dad who uses crowdsourcing to solve his daughter’s murder; and NBC’s Rise, starring Josh Radnor as a drama teacher who revitalizes a small town.)

Petersen goes on to say that the decisions that “historically conservative” network execs, the vast majority of whom are white men, make aren’t necessarily about a gender or racial h

prejudice. “It’s more about what’s testing well,” she says. “They’re trying to build a show that advertisers know will appeal to the consumers they want. Often, it’s what is the least risky, the most derivative.” That’s why, she says, if you’re looking for boundarypushing viewing, it’s more likely to come from streaming services that aren’t beholden to those truck ads or erectile-dysfunction commercials paying the bills. “Netflix, for example, looks at viewing patterns and what people actually watch,” explains Petersen, adding that that’s how shows like Orange Is the New Black and Glow were able to get made. “None of these new shows on network TV are going to really break through—they’re not going to be the ones that people are talking about.”

It is worth noting that network television is at least aware of its diversity issue. CBS, for instance, was recently called out at a Television Critics Association press conference for having no new shows with a female lead (for the second year in a row) and a casting department that is entirely white.

“We can debate the pace of change, but there is change,” responded Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment, citing a 60-percent rise in diverse series regulars. “We are absolutely moving in the right direction.”

And as for that lack of femalefronted programming? At the same conference, CBS’ senior executive vice- president of programming, Thom Sherman, had this to say: “[We] did develop female-led shows last year. The way things turned out, those pilots were not felt to be as good as some of the other series that were picked up.”

And, no, he did not take that line straight out of a rerun of Mad Men.