DGA study finds small improvement in diversity behind the camera on TV
For all of the television industry’s perceived improvement in diversity to be on view at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, progress has been slow in coming for those behind the camera on TV.
According to an annual study released today by the Directors Guild of America, episodic television made slight improvements in directing opportunities for women and people of color. In the DGA analysis of more than 4,000 episodes during the 2015-16 TV season that included 299 scripted series, 17% of these series were directed by women, which is up from 16% last year, according to the study. Ethnic minorities of either gender directed 19% of the total number of episodes, which is also a 1% increase from the previous season.
The report also included a “Worst Of” list of 57 series that hired women or minorities for fewer than 15% of its episodes, and 30 of those series hired no female or minority directors.
That marks a marginal improvement from the 61 shows that landed on the “Worst Of” list last season, but also a bit of a step back given that 27 of those shows did not hire any directors who were women or people of color. Some of those shows included the basic cable comedies “Workaholics,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Man Seeking Woman.”
However, the report’s “Best Of” list — the number of shows that hired women or minorities to direct for at least 40% of episodes — expanded to 73 shows, which is a 28% increase from last year. Among those series receiving a perfect score from the DGA included the BET shows “Being Mary Jane,” “Zoe Ever After” and “The Game” as well as the canceled NBC drama “Heartbeat.”
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