TV’S DIVERSITY REPORT CARD: HOW WE GRADE THE BROADCAST NETWORKS
ABC: AABC,
which last year named Channing Dungey network TV’s first AfricanAmerican programming chief, has long been a champion of diversity. Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal and How to
Get Away With Murder have black leads in Kerry Washington and Viola Davis, new comedy Speechless is centered on a boy with cerebral palsy, and Black- ish, Dr. Ken, The Real O’Neals and Fresh Off the Boat mine laughs from minority experiences. Dramas
Quantico and Notorious also feature minorities in leading roles.
CBS: CTop-
rated CBS has the worst track record of the majors: All six of its new fall shows are led by white men. While it has hastily added minorities to the ensemble casts of procedural dramas, only Elementary and NCIS: Los Angeles feature them in lead roles, and none of its shows embraces racial themes. CBS vows improvement, without offering specific goals, and points to midseason shows including
Doubt, featuring black transgender supporting actress Laverne Cox, as signs of progress.
FOX: B+
Fox wins points for championing
Empire, which transcended race to quickly become network TV’s top young- adult drama. Returning Rosewood and this fall’s new crop Pitch, The Exorcist and Lethal Weapon feature black or Latino leads, as do upcoming Star and 24: Legacy.
NBC: C+
Like CBS, NBC has no series that embrace minority themes, and none with a sole minority lead, though America Ferrera heads up an ensemble cast in Superstore and new drama This is Us includes an AfricanAmerican family. The network also has aminority co- star in fall’s Timeless and diverse casts in its many procedurals.
CW: C+
The smaller network has done a good job blending diverse actors into its superhero franchises and romantic comedies but counts only Jane the
Virgin ( the lone English- language broadcast series about a Latino family) among those with diverse leads.
Grades were determined based on USA TODAY research on the ethnic and racial makeup of scripted primetime fall series, the percentage of leading roles they represent and the prevalence of diverse themes in the shows.