Opportunity still lags behind the scenes
Casting gains aren’t mirrored by those who are in charge of telling the stories
TV diversity doesn’t just require more faces of color onscreen; it means more inclusion behind the camera in producing, writing and directing ranks.
But that progress, which sparks a broader range of stories based on writers’ and producers’ experiences, lags. USA TODAY research shows that 10% of executive producers on broadcast sitcoms and dramas this fall are from non- white backgrounds, with ABC — home to superproducer Shonda Rhimes — leading the way at 17%.
There’s been “much less progress” behind the scenes than on the screen, says Darnell Hunt, director of UCLA’s Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, which produces an annual Hollywood Diversity Report. “Even on so- called diverse shows, you’re still going to see a showrunner who’s a white man for the most part. ... If you don’t have a diverse writers’ room, where are those stories going to come from?”
The Directors Guild of America estimates that minorities shepherded 19% of TV episodes during the 2015- 16 TV season, up only slightly from the previous year. And the Hollywood branch of the Writers Guild of America says minority employment remained flat at 13%.
Ava DuVernay, executive producer of OWN’s Queen Sugar, and a mostly diverse group of women directed all 13 of the drama’s episodes.
DuVernay sees incremental advancement. “It feels like more than in the past, so it’s progress, but it’s something we need to continue to work on,” she says. “When you look at the number of people-of- color-centered shows, the math is not setting the world on fire.”
Alan Yang, an Emmy- winning writer- producer ( with star Aziz Ansari) on Netflix’s Master of None, sees the lack of diversity as less conscious bias than the tendency of top decision- makers, traditionally whitemen, to assign oversight of TV episodes, which can cost $ 2 million to $ 5 million apiece, to people they know and have worked with, who often share a similar background.
“A lot of it is risk aversion,” Yang says. “A lot of the business is repeating what’s succeeded before.”
Digital opportunities have provided routes for performers, says actress Eva Longoria. As a producer, she tries to cultivate talent behind the camera. “We won’t have a Latina Shonda Rhimes if that person doesn’t start somewhere.”
Actress Roselyn Sánchez ( Devious Maids) produced an October Lifetime film, Death of a Vegas Showgirl, about the murder of a fellow Puerto Rican native that might not otherwise have been told.
Even though minority populations are growing and cable and streaming services have had success, some networks “still operate with fear” that programs featuring non- white leads and stories won’t appeal to mass audiences, Sánchez says, countering that “It doesn’t matter the color of your skin, where you grew up, your accent. If it’s a good show, it’s a good show.”
DuVernay, whose first TV assignment came from Rhimes, disputes the argument that writers, directors and producers from underrepresented groups don’t have the necessary experience. The women she chose for Sugar had previous film credits but could not get TV work.
“It really shows a disparity of opportunity,” she says, adding that with experience, Sugar’s directors have found more work. “All these women are booking shows.”
Producers say their own efforts aren’t enough: Ensuring broader representation has to be part of the culture of networks and studios.
“Sometimes, it’s conscious. Sometimes, we force producers to think about it. Most of the time it’s organic,” NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt says. “You’ve got to build the talent pools ... and create the situation where ( people are) welcomed into the mix of these shows.”
Each of the broadcast networks has initiatives designed to increase diversity. NBCUniversal’s Talent Infusion Programs cultivates writers and directors from underrepresented groups, and counts Yang and Mindy Kaling among its alumni. Some networks, including Fox and Starz, fund a minority staff- writing position at each of their shows.
Veteran director Ken Whittingham, who’s black, has become a goto hire since racking up a string of directing credits on UPN comedies in the late 1990s, which opened the door to jobs on Gilmore Girls, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation and The Mindy Project.
“I was the person that had done it for a while and I could fill those needs,” says Whittingham. “I would tell them sometimes: ‘ I’m the easy choice. Find some other people.’ ”