[BLOG] Blacks and Television — Where Are We Now?
So apparently the BET Awards were last night, as evidenced by my Facebook news feed perpetually reminding me about it every second for two to three hours. I was unable to tune in as I was preoccupied with better things to do than watch BET.
I’ve been looking over the highlights and there were a few that stood out to me, none of which I saw at all addressed on social media. There was a stabbing at an LA nightclub hosting a pre-show party. The stabbing itself was preceded by fatal gun violence at a separate venue, itself hosting a pre-show soiree (a spokesperson for BET has stated that neither events were associated in any way with the official ceremony). Host Chris Rock, apparently aware of the incidents, was said to have joked that it was the only awards show where people had to worry for their safety. The joke is that only at a black event must you be concerned about violence. Isn’t that hilarious?
The night’s festivities also found host Rock attempting to outshine Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres, who handed out pizza to the audience at that ceremony, by handing out Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles at this one (because black people, am I right?).
Now perhaps I’m being a little too hard on the ceremony. It’s nice to see that Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave is still winning awards, as well as that movie’s actress Lupita Nyong’o. I managed to catch a glimpse at Phylicia Rashad’s tribute to Ruby Dee and Maya Angelou, and that was nice. But I just feel that for every bit I read that was good about the show there was something bad immediately following it. For example; Nicki Minaj won best female hip hop star. Amid her acceptance speech where she thanked God and herself, she found time to (allegedly) throw shade at fellow artist Iggy Azalea. Is it asking too much for black programming to not be centered around gossip and stereotypes?
Earlier today I was pointed to a tweet that read “There’s no reason to be content with where black people are on TV today. There’s a difference between progress and achievement.” I disagree with that second bit, after all an achievement is a sign of progress regardless of how minimal. But that first part got me thinking; where are black people in television today?
As of 2013 there are no TV networks with black owners. None. There were 18 in 2006, a number that plummeted to five in 2012, and now there are zero. Analysts feel this is the result of Congress and the FCC consolidating the broadcast industry, crowding out owners of color and rendering it near impossible for new owners to come in. So we’re definitely not in the owners box.
According to a Nielsen chart published April 21, 2014 the shows people of color are watching include ABC’s shows Resurrection and Black Box, Blue Bloods and NCIS: Los Angeles over at CBS, and The Blacklist over NBC. All of these shows feature black cast members, but none of them are leads. I suppose NCIS: LA has LL Cool Jay but according to Google he’s just a supporting actor (seriously, put “NCIS: Los Angeles cast” in the search bar and see how far down on the list he is). These are not black shows, they’re just shows that have black actors in them. This is not to say that black people are ignoring black programming, nor does is it saying that they’re only watching these shows because of the black cast members (I’m sure plenty of them are legitimately good). I think it’s simply because there are very few options for audiences of color to choose from.
I’ve been reading that there are a host of new shows on the horizon that feature strong black casts. Halle Berry has her sci-fi drama Extant planned for a premiere on CBS, and Meagan Good has one as well over at NBC (they seem to have a thing for her) entitled Babylon Fields. Shonda Rhimes, creator of the ever popular Scandal, has a new show in the works called How to Get Away With Murder starring Viola Davis. Craig Robinson’s got his show Mr. Robinson planned for Fall, and the rising star of Kevin Hart is showing no signs of decline as he’s got a couple of TV projects coming down the pipe too.
Some of these shows will likely do well. Shonda Rhimes has proven that she can bring in an audience, and Kevin Hart is…well he’s Kevin Hart. But the last show NBC had featuring Meagan Good flopped big time, and I’m unfamiliar with Craig Robinson’s track record as far as TV. Black TV shows just don’t seem to do well, and I’m not sure if that has to do with them not being able to find an audience or whether studios aren’t giving them a chance, or both. Either way it’s apparent that blacks have been making strides in the industry, but there have been plenty of setbacks and we shouldn’t be satisfied with where we are. And clearly we aren’t as there are several black creators and actors out to buck the trend. We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.
Also, does anyone know how that show Power on Starz is doing? I haven’t had a chance to check it out.