While much of the talk after the Oscar nominations was about the lack of minority nominees, TV has gone in the opposite direction, suggested columnist Neil Justin in the Star Tribune.
The CW announced in January a second season of Jane the Virgin which features an almost entirely Latino cast. The same day it’s star Gina Rodriguez left the Golden Globes stage in tears after taking home the trophy for best actress in a TV comedy.
In one month’s time Empire on Fox has become the most watched new network show. It features an African American family’s power struggle in the music industry.
This Wednesday Fresh Off the Boat. the story of a first generation Chinese American family, debuts in a two episode premiere on ABC at 8:30 and 9:30 PM.
The show is executive produced by Nahnatchka Khan, an Iranian-American who grew up in Hawaii.
“I can really relate to the immigrant experience of this show, being first-generation [American] and having parents who weren’t born here,” she said. “And when you take source material that comes from such a strong voice, you try to develop it for a broader audience and make it into a family sitcom for broadcast TV, you need a lot of different access points.”
Is diversity in TV a passing fad or here to stay? Money talks and in TV that means ratings. If ratings are good, you’ll see more of this. You can read more about the success of these shows in the Star Tribune.