It’s not interesting to have NBC’s “The West
Wing” pitted against ABC’s “The
Bachelor.”
The networks are repeating the same schtick we’ve seen
before. ABC is trying to chip away at NBC’s core audience
with the enticement of a show that is full of guilty pleasure.
Most networks’ strategies don’t amaze me. However, I
am fascinated by the Wednesday night lineup. Fox has placed one of
its few good shows, “The Bernie Mac Show,” against
ABC’s “My Wife and Kids.”
Both of these shows contain similar formulas; they are comedies
about black families. With slightly different slants, they both
have enough similarities that Fox thinks “The Bernie Mac
Show” can not only chip away at ABC’s viewership, but
take it away completely.
Shows with minority casts have always been a tough spot for TV
networks to deal with since they are constantly getting criticism
for the lack of them. However, when they do give them a chance,
there’s usually a lukewarm, if not negative, reception
(ABC’s Latino “The George Lopez Show” and Korean
“All American Girl”) so they promptly get cancelled.
They’re basically damned if they do and damned if they
don’t.
Nevertheless, minority-cast shows continue to grow and now we
have one black comedy show competing against another. The
significance may seem minor but this shows that TV networks are
confident enough to divide a minority audience, because they
perceive it to be large and important.
TV networks are always fiddling with diversity in shows. The
novelty of showing certain races (mainly Latino and Asian) on
television can be bait for anyone curious as to how shows will
fare. Second, there’s the instant draw of the minority who
will want to support shows like that. A niche audience will attract
more advertisers searching for specific markets.
In these difficult economic times, there’s an added burden
on the entertainment industry to find more advertisers.
That’s ignoring how cable is stealing broadcast TV’s
audience.
TV networks are racking their brains thinking up different ways
to get viewers, and thus the battle between Bernie Mac and Damon
Wayans ensues. Instead, TV networks should focus on the merits of a
show rather than its novelty if they want to sustain their
audiences.
However, minority shows don’t necessarily try to be funny
for everyone, which brings up question: can shows that represent
the lives of minorities be universally funny?
The answer is yes. When “The Cosby Show” came out,
it was a hit with everyone because it was funny to lots of people
who were not black. Granted, “Cosby” has a reputation
for being “whitewashed.” However, I remember talking to
Korean-American Eddie Shin of “That ’80s Show,”
who told me his reason for acting was Rudy, the adorable Huxtable
girl, played by Keshia Pulliam. This just goes to show that you
don’t have to be a certain race or culture to get someone
else’s humor or its more comprehensive themes.
So overall, do I like shows with diversity? Yes, but only when
they broaden their scope to universal issues.