Shani O. Hilton

how black web creators are changing tv

Whether or not you can relate to any of Anacostia’s storylines, Anderson’s main point, about how white most TV networks are, still stands. Mindy Kaling’s The Mindy Project debuted this fall on Fox to much fanfare, even though it’s pretty much like every vaguely cerebral comedy on television right now. She’s the exception that proves the rule: A woman of color writing her own ticket is an anomaly. Looking at the five major television networks —ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, and the CW—it’s difficult to name more than a handful of shows with more than one main character of color. It’s a reminder of the much-lauded Bechdel test, which is used to evaluate sexism in film. In order to pass the test, named for feminist cartoonist Alison Bechdel, the film must have 1. two female characters, 2. who have a conversation with each other, and 3. talk about something other than men. Replace “female characters” with “characters of color” and “men” with “white people” and it’s even harder to come up with television series or films that would pass.

My Tomorrow mag piece on black web series is online! Please read it.