Maybe you’ve noticed a change recently in the television landscape. In the past several years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of TV series that include diverse casts from a range of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Shows like Black-ish and Insecure, Master of None, and Jane the Virgin revolve around main characters who are black, South Asian, and Latina. And they’re not alone. There are many other TV shows with predominantly nonwhite cast on cable and streaming networks. It wasn’t so long ago that TV was largely populated by white characters, with only the occasional BIPOC (Black/Indigenous/People of Color) sidekick thrown in. Today it is much easier to find shows that feature multicultural casts and in which race is a central theme of the comedy, drama, or action.
While such gains are encouraging, we are still far from reaching something that looks like racial parity on screen. Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population is composed of BIPOC, and yet they remain woefully underrepresented both in front of and behind the camera as actors, writers, directors, and show runners (Hunt et al. 2017). According to UCLA media researchers Darnell Hunt and Ana-Christina Ramon, “From the earliest days of the industry, white males have dominated the plum positions in front of and behind the camera, thereby marginalizing women and BIPOC in the creative process by which a nation circulates popular stories about itself “(2015, p. 53).
Another reason we may be seeing more BIPOC on TV is simply a matter of the bottom line: America’s increasingly diverse audiences prefer more diverse TV content. Along with an increase in the number of BIPOC characters comes more variety in the ways they are portrayed. With more BIPOC in positions of power in the creative process, more TV shows are now taking on race in incisive, courageous, and nuanced ways. Audiences are seeing a broader range of character portrayals and situations and settings that more closely reflect the lived experiences of BIPOC members. Seeing one-self represented in the media is critically important to feeling included in a multicultural society. Greater representation can also serve to challenge racial and ethnic stereotypes and break down preconceived ideas about the members of BIPOC groups. But that’s not to say that TV is completely realistic when it comes to race. We are only getting a selective slice of the real world when we watch TV, and often that content can still be narrow, superficial, exaggerated, or just plain unrealistic.
Highlights from the 2021 Hollywood Diversity Report: In the cable scripted arena, median ratings for viewers 18-49, White, Latinx, and Asian households peaked in 2019-20 for shows with casts that were from 41 percent to 50 percent minority. Among Black households, median ratings were highest for shows with majority minority casts. Facebook and Instagram engagement in 2019-20 peaked for broadcast scripted shows with casts that were from 31 percent to 40 percent minority. For Twitter, engagement peaked for broadcast scripted shows that were even more diverse — shows with casts that were from 41 percent to 50 percent minority and shows with majority-minority casts.
For this Data Workshop you’ll be watching TV and analyzing how it reflects the realities of race and ethnicity in contemporary society. Choose a TV series (drama, comedy, or reality TV) that takes place in current times and includes BIPOC characters. You might consider those already mentioned earlier or one of the following:
All American
Reservation Dogs
Insecure
Being Mary Jane
Never Have I Ever
Jane the Virgin
Black-ish
Ramy
Love, Victor
On My Block
Kim’s Convenience
Gentefied
Pose
Power
Queen Sugar
Kung Fu
Atlanta
You will be using existing sources as a research method and doing a content analysis of one episode of the TV series you chose. Refer to Chapter 2 for a review of this research method. Watch a recent episode of your chosen series in its entirety. You will want to record the program or look for an episode on DVD or that you can stream from Netflix, Hulu, or another online source so that you can review certain scenes, interactions, or bits of dialogue several times. Take notes as you watch, paying special attention to the episode’s content as it relates to race and ethnicity. Your notes can be informal but should be specific and detailed. Your notes will serve as the data set you’ll be analyzing. Consider your response to the following prompts or add your own questions for analysis:
Look up your series on IMDb or Wikipedia to learn more about its creators. Who is in control of production, direction, or writing, and how might that affect the show’s content?
Is race an explicit theme of the show, and if so, how is it addressed? Or are matters of race more implicit or in the background? How many BIPOC characters are featured in the episode? What proportion of the total cast do they represent?
In what ways are BIPOC characters portrayed? (You may choose to focus on one or two characters or more.) Do the characters uphold certain racial or ethnic stereotypes or challenge them?
Describe instances in which characters display aspects of situational or symbolic ethnicity.
How does the race or ethnicity of characters intersect with other social statuses or identities such as class, gender, or sexuality?
To what extent do you think the show reflects the “real world”? Use the information in the “Race, Ethnicity, and Life Chances” section of this chapter for reference.
In what ways might the show help to maintain or perpetuate prejudice and discrimination? In what ways might the show help to counteract prejudice and discrimination?
What kind of an impact did the episode have on you as a viewer? How might it shape the perceptions of other audience members with regard to race or ethnicity?
Write this post in essay format. Make sure to use specific scenes, dialogue, and images as your data. In order to be sociological, support any assertions you make with details from the show.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|