TV’s Fall Programming Lineup: Is This Their Final Answer

Last year, there were almost none. This year, there are more.

After months of intense heat about a noticeable lack of cultural diversity in prime-time casts for the 1999-2000 television season, the four major networks came to the annual New York upfront presentations with a range of new shows for the fall that include a greater degree of inclusion for minority actors.

The newly unveiled fall TV schedules from ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox do feature more minorities--particularly blacks--in starring roles on several new series:

* One of NBC’s highly touted new comedies, “DAG,” stars an African American--David Alan Grier--as a bumbling Secret Service agent assigned to protect the first lady (Delta Burke).

* Former “Homicide: Life in the Streets” star Andre Braugher heads up a new ABC medical drama, “Gideon’s Crossing,” which also stars Ruben Blades.

* Fox’s post-apocalyptic drama, “Dark Angel,” stars Jessica Alba, who describes herself as multi-ethnic.

* CBS is taking another chance on “City of Angels,” Steven Bochco’s series about an inner-city hospital that suffered poor ratings despite the initial hoopla over its distinction as one of the rare dramas featuring a predominantly African American cast.

African Americans will be showcased in more key roles in the upcoming season. In CBS’ updated version of “The Fugitive,” the relentless pursuer of Richard Kimble (Tim Daly) will be played by Mykelti Williamson (“Forest Gump”). Acclaimed producer David E. Kelley’s new drama, “Boston Public” features Chi McBride (“The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer”) as the principal of a suburban Boston high school. Half of the cast of CBS’ new police drama “The District” are minorities. Rocky Carroll (“Chicago Hope”) is one of the main characters in the comedy “Welcome to New York”.

However, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans and other cultural groups are still largely absent from the TV landscape, noted Doug Alligood, senior vice president of special markets for the New York-based advertising firm BBDO Worldwide.

“Steps were made. We made progress,” said Scott Sassa, president of NBC West Coast, in assessing his network’s efforts to add diversity to its programming. “Certainly awareness was up. There is some distance we have to go, and that will come from training and meeting new people.”

Networks Face Ongoing Criticism

While CBS passed on the Latino family drama, “American Family,” CBS Television President Leslie Moonves said, “I think we have done an exceptional job. Picking up ‘City of Angels’ shows our commitment. We’re putting our money where our mouth is, bringing back a show that we consider a very good show but whose ratings were marginal. Our track record was good before this season, and clearly we continue to do what we say we’re going to do. We want to be a leader in the field.”

The issue has been a thorny one for the networks, who have faced ongoing criticism from the creative community, the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and several other advocacy groups. The groups charged that prime-time television programming, specifically last season’s near total exclusion of minority actors in any role of significance, was ignoring the changing cultural landscape of the country. In response to months of negotiations with the NAACP and a minority coalition, executives at CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox formally agreed to implement a number of strategies to increase diversity.

In evaluating the networks’ efforts overall, Alligood found a mixed bag.

“The situation on diversity is slightly better than last season, but it certainly is not revolutionary,” Alligood said. “And perhaps it’s better that way. If more diversity had been tried and there were not miraculous results, the networks could have said, ‘We tried it, it didn’t work.’ ”

Meanwhile, the Screen Actors Guild’s Equal Employment Opportunities Commission Chairwoman Anne-Marie Johnson said: “We’re being very patient in trying to get the complete lineup and cast list, but there is not a lot of excitement so far in terms of progress. The lineup still looks very young and very white.”

Of the eight new situation comedies premiering this fall revolving around families, not one features a minority family. The only major network comedy about a minority family --”The Hughleys”--was cut from ABC’s schedule and picked up by UPN. However, ABC has picked up a family comedy for midseason starring Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin.

Alligood said series on the major networks are continuing the practice of placing one minority in large casts of shows set in urban environments. For instance, “The $treet,” Fox’s new drama about young stock traders on Wall Street, has one minority among its eight principals.

Minority Shows in Pipeline Aren’t Picked Up

A number of shows in the network development stream featured minorities. Beyond “American Family,” which filmmaker/producer Gregory Nava intends to shop to other networks now that CBS has passed, the list of candidates includes a high-profile project from veteran writer-producer Yvette Lee Bowser--a comedy created for NBC, “The Thing About Family,” which featured four black siblings.

A group of experienced black writers who recently met informally to discuss the new season, said they are being interviewed more this season for staff positions on shows such as “Frasier” and “Friends,” a change from just a season ago when none could even get interviews for writing spots on non-ethnic series.

However, the writers, who have worked mostly on minority-themed comedies, find themselves in something of a Catch-22, with networks and studios favoring inexperienced minority writers and interns who will work for lower salaries. “This is just not the right time for a black writer with experience,” said one veteran comedy writer, who is still hoping to get on one of the fall shows.

Producer Bowser said during the discussion that “The Thing About Family’s” failure to make NBC’s fall schedule is indicative of a lack of commitment to diversify the prime-time lineup. Bowser, who created “Living Single” and “For Your Love,” which is on the WB Network, developed the NBC pilot with her husband, Kyle Bowser.

“None of the networks have really done anything,” said Bowser. “There really is no significant result in terms of what was supposed to be accomplished. They said shows would be more inclusive, but I really feel that the doors have been bolted shut.”

Bowser also said she felt like she was “used” by network executives who mentioned her as one of the minority producers they wanted to develop shows with when the furor over diversity erupted last year: “I was trotted out like a little brown pony, and then they left me without a saddle.”

Sassa denied Bowser’s claims. While declining to talk specifically about the Bowser pilot, he said, “When a network buys a show, they’re buying a prototype. They’re buying this organism that is living and becoming something. You have to believe in its long-term future.”

Meanwhile, Moonves said that in an unprecedented move, the network was relinquishing all rights to “American Family,” which was developed by Nava, best known for his critically acclaimed film “El Norte.” “There was a great deal of protest about this, and now there are five other networks who can pick up the show without any legal or financial obligation. That’s something we’ve never done.”

Sassa added that while diversity was a top priority at NBC, “We’re fighting for our lives here and fighting not to lose to ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.’ Diversity will never take over not putting the best shows on the air.”

Alligood of BBDO Worldwide said, “When it comes to diversity, it will move a step at a time. And there’s still a long way to go.”