Victoria Rowell: "Debbi Morgan wanted to come to Y&R"

[DeeeDee]

Careful AMS don't be hyperemotional!

[alphanguy74]

It just hasn't been done that way. The black actors are integrated within the shows. Omar Epps, Shemar Moore, Rocky Carroll, Laurence Fishburne, Gary Dourdan, Donald Faison, Chandra Wilson, Vanessa Williams, Tracie Thoms, Anthony Anderson, Epatha Merkerson, Henry Simmons, Sophia Brown, Aisha Hinds, Jon Michael Hill, James McDaniel, Rose Rollins, Evan Ross, Gugu Mbtha-Raw, Boris Kodjoe.. the list goes on and on, and I ahvne't even touched the CW shows. But I suppsoe someone;s gonna come up with some reason that none of these people matter, or make no difference.

[DeeeDee]

[Khan]

Unfortunately, that's true. There are many who won't cut the networks and studios any slack no matter what. Which is why, in the end, I believe in the old philosophy that if what you're watching on TV isn't satisfying to you, then you need only change the channel.

[Khan]

They do matter, and they do make a difference. However, aside from Fishburne, none of the actors you have listed "carry" their respective shows the way actors (and actresses) such as Mark Harmon, Hugh Laurie, Julianna Margulies, and the ladies from "Desperate Housewives" carry theirs. (Even LL Cool J has to share his show, "NCIS: Los Angeles," w/ Chris O'Donnell -- not that I'm complaining, of course, since I find O'Donnell hot, lol.) Where's our "House," our "Mad Men," our "Office" and "30 Rock"?

[bellcurve]

Random thought: Laurence Fishburne > Denzel.

Just sayin...

[All My Shadows]

They matter, and they do make a difference. But where are the leading actors and actress? Omar Epps supports Hugh Laurie. Shemar Moore supports Thomas Gibson and Joe Mantegna. Rocky Carroll supports Mark Harmon. Gary Dourdan supported William Peterson. Donald Faison supported Zach Braff. Chandra Wilson supports Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo. Tracie Thoms supported Kathryn Morris. Henry Simmons supported Dennis Franz. Jon Michael Hill will support Michael Imperioli. And as we all know, regardless of race, supporting actors and actresses are severely unappreciated. And, also, almost allll of these people, even Fishburne, who is the star, are on ensemble shows, where it's easy to make a supporting character or two or three minorities. "Undercovers" is a GIGANTIC step in the right direction, IMO, because those two characters could have easily been white, and as much as I roll my eyes at Abrams, his name being attached to this show will really work in its favor.

Out of all those sitcoms on CBS, NBC, and ABC, none of them could focus on black characters? Contrary to popular belief, shows with predominantly black casts can be and have been huge hits with all races in the past. "Sanford and Son" was a top ten show for five seasons and the second most-watched show in the US for three. "The Jeffersons" was highly-rated for most of its run. "The Cosby Show" speaks for itself, and "A Different World" was in the top ten for four seasons.

I'm not saying that black people won't watch non-black people, because they obviously have for 60 years. That's not the point. The point is that we should be at a point where that lame ass "Life Unexpected" could be about black people or "Brothers & Sisters" could be about a black family, and we're not there, and there's still a long way to go.

Think about it in terms of orientation. There are certain things that gay people know it would be foolish to want to see on TV because it just won't happen, at all. Not now, at least. The networks won't put on a show that focuses on a gay relationship, they wouldn't put on a show where the main character - not the friend, not the neighbor, not the brother, not the grandfather, etc - is gay (imagine if JD from "Scrubs" was gay) unless it's "Will & Grace," etc.

[Khan]

Actually, AMS, that's a bad example. Fred G. Sanford (the "G" stands for "Get Rich Quick") was a dishonest junkman always looking to make a fast buck; and his son, Lamont, was a strident dunderhead, played by an actor with the comic timing of a mule. Compared to "That's My Mama!," though, S&S was probably "Masterpiece Theatre."

Because, George Jefferson walking on the back of a white man (Mr. Bentley)? That's just gold, lol.

Word.

[DeeeDee]

Bottom line.

The ONLY reason Non White Heterosexual People deal with watching White Heterosexual People on tv is cause that's the way it's ALWAYS been (with few exceptions).

The idea that "changing the channel" will solve Non White People's problems of disparity & lack of representation doesn't wash.

Know why?

Cause when the channel is changed?

MORE. WHITE. PEOPLE.

The reason why cable is constantly gaining ground on network tv is cause there are more options & greater opportunities for ALL kinds of people (Black, Asian, Hispanic, Women, Older People, Gay, Disabled) then what network television CHOOSES to deal with.

There is absolutely NO reason why there shouldn't be an Asian Brothers & Sisters or a Gay Lost or a Hispanic House.

There's just not.

Worst of all it's been proven time & again no matter HOW successful a Minority Show is, how much it crosses over to other audiences or other audiences cross over TO them they will be undercut until they fail for reasons that should be blatantly obvious.

That's also NOT taking into account how new networks ALWAYS take advantage of "minority programming" until they build enough profit to dump the "minority shows", climb out of the "television ghetto" & become "respectable" with shows "normal" (meaning WHITE people) want to watch (shows about OTHER White People).

[DRW50]

Donald Bogle wrote several very good books on this subject.

There was also a pretty good book on this called In Living Color, or something like that, which talked about how FOX abandoned blacks as soon as they made enough money and had shows that were seen as cool by white people, like the X Files.

[Eric83]

The WB did the same thing once Buffy, 7th Heaven and Dawson's Creek got really popular.

[DRW50]

You're right. The main difference is the WB only had a few good shows (and even some of those seemed to be watched as camp, like Dawson's Creek), whereas Fox had some great shows before they sold out...

But give the WB credit they did have Pete Ross on Smallville and Gunn on Angel...with great stories like...Gunn being yet another man who had to walk three feet behind Fred.

[DeeeDee]

And despite running his own gang while taking care of himself & his sister ON HIS OWN Gunn STILL needed a "brain upgrade".

[EastMA2]

*YAWN*

[All My Shadows]

I disagree, but to each his own.

Not really.