The Diversification of Television

THE DIVERSIFICATION OF TELEVISION

THE MODERN TV LANDSCAPE A lot has changed in TV during the last 20 years. In 2019, more than 500 new scripted TV-shows had their debut. Ten years earlier there were 'only' 200. The number of TV-shows has massively increased but more importantly TV also became more diverse.

FEMALE TALENT Never before have we seen such a variety of female talent in front of and behind the camera. Women like Lena Waithe and Phoebe Waller-Bridge have struck major deals to create more diverse and inclusive television series.

BLACK TALENT Donald Glover , Ava DuVernay , and Kenya Barris are only a few of many black creators who are shaping the television of tomorrow with inspiring and thought-provoking TV-shows.

DIVERSE TALENT There has also been a surge of LGBTQ+ characters in major television series as well as Asian and Latino leads. While still having a long way to go to reach equal representation, this has nevertheless made the industry more inclusive than ever.

THE SO-CALLED GOLDEN AGE It hasn't always been this way, however. While the technological advances and a massive increase in high-quality TV-shows triggered in the early 2000's what is considered by many as "The Golden Age of Television", the shows in this era still focused mostly on straight white male protagonists . Not to mention that TV-shows were almost exclusively written by white men .

MALE-LED DRAMAS Shows like The Soprano s , Mad Men, Breaking Bad and True Detective are all considered part of this golden age. And most of these shows feature a predominantly white male cast with problematic views on women and people of color.

NICHE According to the studios, shows led by or targeted towards women didn't appeal to a broad enough audience . So they did not see a reason to invest in them. And the same applied to people of color.

THE CHANGE Around 2013 things started to change. With the rise of Netflix, viewers could decide for themselves which shows to watch. The audience behaved differently to what studios had assumed.

DEMAND FOR MORE Demand for new content was high so Netflix funded numerous projects led by women and people of color that were previously rejected by the big studios. Other companies took note and slowly started doing the same.

FIRST WAVE Shows like Orange is the new Black , Jane The Virgin , Broad City and Transparent were just a few female-led shows that started gaining popularity with users and critics, collecting multiple award nominations and wins.

#METOO Then in October 2017, the TV & Film industry got flipped on its head. Several women started coming forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against major producers and creators. The #MeToo movement led to the firing of high ranking predators, replacing them with people of more diverse profiles.

MORE WORK TO BE DONE Over the past few years, we have seen a step in the right direction but we are still very far from equality on all fronts in the television industry. A 2017 study found that 90% of show-runners are still white and 80% is male.

WHAT CAN I DO? While the industry is slowly diversifying both its content and the people who create it, you as a viewer can help make this change by simply watching and supporting the shows you love. Next time you are choosing a TV-show, check whether it is created by and includes a diverse range of talent.

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