Racism and racial representation on soaps

[Faulkner]

I just remember she got called out for being racially insensitive at one point:

https://dailysoapdish.com/2019/12/general-hospital-spoilers-star-chloe-lanier-nelle-benson-deletes-twitter-account-after-camila-banus-gabi-dimera-backlash-days-of-our-lives/

 

I just think someone with a legitimate grievance (or an ax to grind) against her was soliciting Ira to get her cancelled.

 

 

Oh yes. We *all* know some deeply problematic people who were posting black squares on Instagram recently, among other things, because they felt it was the “correct” thing to do, not how they truly felt.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Faulkner

[titan1978]

As always- Victoria Rowell is correct.  They neglected their black audience, and it has lost them a huge audience.  They should have invested in talent in front and behind the scenes to continue cultivating that audience.

[Faulkner]

It’s obvious that OWN and BET capitalized on that gap, especially with those cheap, repetitive Tyler Perry series that are aesthetically more similar to daytime dramas than shows like Dynasty or Melrose Place. Tyler saw the underserved market for daytime soaps with black viewers, hired recognizable daytime folks like Tika Sumpter and Aidan Turner, and watched the numbers soar. They had 3+ million viewers an episode and probably not that many non-black viewers among them. These shows’ mainstream media coverage certainly isn’t commensurate with their ratings.
 

And those shows aren’t even *good.* Black folks were just hungry for their stories, and they weren’t getting served by the broadcast networks that well in the daytime.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Faulkner

[Darn]

 

I thought about this a lot when Girls was on and could not crack a million viewers yet so much ink and internet chatter was exhausted on it. The racial bias is VERY clear.

[Faulkner]

Totally. You could clock that overeducated, overmedicated white female media types living in Brooklyn were Girls’ target audience, and that lent it coverage far beyond what the show actually deserved in the culture. You weren’t going to see HAHN recaps on Jezebel or Vulture.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Faulkner

[All My Shadows]

I think the thing with Tyler's shows (which have been fervently eaten up by my mom and contemporaries) is that they will never get that type of media coverage because their audience doesn't care about reading articles about their shows online (or even in print). They watch, they enjoy, they call up their sister or sister-in-law or whomever, it's a lot of "Girl, you saw that?" "And then she got the nerve to..." "They was wrong for that!" "That was good for her ass!" and then it's over until the next episode lol And there's nothing wrong with that, because they're still watching.

The same can mostly be said about Hallmark Channel's original series, such as WHEN CALLS THE HEART and GOOD WITCH, which usually pull between two and two-and-a-half million viewers an episode and exists in their own very small bubble of a fanbase. There's probably less phone chatter about them since they're not the provocative soaps that HAHN and ILYIW are, but they're also catering to an audience that once watched soaps.

Edited June 10, 2020 by All My Shadows

[ReddFoxx]

There is also the fact that Tyler had an established audience from years of doing plays that were directly marketed to a black audience that mainstream writers and producers do not tap into for the most part. I say the most part because start up networks like FOX, UPN and WB had no problem flooding their schedules with comedies that appealed to urban audiences, but not any drama series.

[Khan]

 

Because we've been served so badly by the networks/studios, we've learned to be forgiving toward Black shows that aren't necessarily the best written.  (Although we do have limits, which explains the quick deaths of "Homeboys in Outer Space" and "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeffer," among others.)

 

 

I give Steven Bochco credit for trying to rectify that situation with his short-lived "City of Angels," which was the first network TV drama series to feature a predominantly Black cast (Blair Underwood, Vivica A. Fox, etc.).  But, man, the writing for that show, like most of Bochco's post-"NYPD Blue" shows, was so anemic.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Khan

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I love VR to death, but that always be the one thing that undermines her. I need her to stop pleading to be brought back. Her calling out Steve Kent, the Y&R cast, and the production team is enough. Once she dismantles and get them removed, then slide up back in there. 

 

Right now, I just need for her to press the racial issues on Y&R/CBS/SONY.

[Khan]

But, that would mean bringing Drucilla back from the dead; and the more time passes, the more tired I become of that plot device.

 

On the other hand, if there were some way to explain Dru had a long-lost twin sister.... 

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[titan1978]

I think her relationship to the show makes sense.  People are complicated.  She should be able to criticize Sony and Y&R, while also wanting to have a job there.  She clearly loved Drucilla.  She knows the character is important there and when best used is driving story, which means more time for her to act and be paid well while doing it.  I am sure without Kristoff she has less interest, but also a job is a job when you have need and desire for steady income.

[VanessaReardon]

She’s at it, AGAIN?? Victoria Rowell is her own worst enemy. Steve Kent is not her enemy. All of those who have ‘wronged’ her (the list is endless, in her mind) are not her enemy. SHE is her enemy. I wonder if Victoria ever talks to Brenda Dickson? They have alot in common. 

Edited June 10, 2020 by VanessaReardon

[ReddFoxx]

I remember City of Angels because it seemed like it had potential. About five years before that CBS had aired another attempt at a  drama with a black cast with Under One Roof starring James Earl Jones. It lasted six episodes, but Jones managed to get an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

[Forever8]

I tend to think about City of Angels from time to time randomly and I just looked up it lasted two seasons. But I always thought it only lasted one. City of Angels did have potential and it was an interesting take with a medical show with a predominantly black cast. 

[Forever8]

I know it would never happen but I wouldn't mind a candid tell-all with several black actor and actresses who did daytime talk about their experiences in the genre as a documentary or book. 

 

People I would love to see/hear from

 

Amelia Marshall

Ellen Holly

Victoria Rowell

Nia Long

Tamara Tunie

Ingrid Rogers 

Davetta Sherwood

Vinessa Antoine 

Renee Elise Goldsberry

Tika Sumpter 

Timothy D. Stickney 

Peter Parros

Lawrence Saint Victor

Monti Sharp