Exit
ing to tolerate tokenism in writers’ rooms. Far too few studio and
network executives actively and
consistently pursue a true diversity of ideas and personnel when
choosing which storytellers to
hire and which stories to tell.
The industry’s unwillingness to
make serious and lasting changes
to the way it does business makes
sense from a certain perspective. Business as usual for the
Hollywood decision-makers has
no concrete, short-term downside. On the rare occasions when
they’re asked about these matters, many executives pass the
buck: It’s always somebody else in
the Hollywood food chain who is
responsible. Or they trot out a series of Hollywood chestnuts: It’s a
meritocracy, the best work always
rises to the top, everyone gets an
equal shot, if only more women
and people of color wanted to get
in the game, our door is open to
everyone, there is no problem,
not really. Nothing to see here.
This is a narrative in which
powerful media executives portray themselves as unwitting bystanders: They just can’t help the
way things are. But aren’t they
the ones who control the metanarrative (not to mention the
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enormous budgets)? From where
they stand outside the universe of
individual shows, do they not see
this pattern, this flat circle?
To be clear, HBO isn’t the whole
story. A few outlets aren’t the
whole story. But these numbers
mean something. When audiences want to check on the state
of high-end drama — TV that
examines, articulates and interrogates the human condition —
If the dictum of good
writing is ‘write what you
know,’ what do women
and people of color know?
What dreams and nightmares
do they have? What are
their battles and fantasies?
What stories aren’t we
hearing from them?”
these places are among the first
places they look. They’re among
the outlets that tell us who we are
and who we could be. The kind of
places that are supposed move the
ball forward when it comes to the
evolution of the art form.
Many at the head of
the pack, however, are
behind the curve.