Director Diversity Seen as Lacking

Although the four major TV networks have repeatedly cited their commitment to increase diversity in front of and behind the camera, studios and production companies have not followed through in regard to minority and female directors on prime-time series, according to a Directors Guild of America study being released today.

The report, which examined the 40 most popular series of the 2000-2001 season, reported that about 80% of drama and comedy episodes--or 663 of the 826 installments--were directed by white males.

Black males directed 27 episodes, or about 3% of the total, while Latino males directed 15 episodes, or about 2%. Asian American males directed nine episodes.

White females directed 87--or 11%--of the episodes. Asian American females directed two episodes, but no other female minorities were credited.

Series employing multiple directors that did not hire either minority or female directors last season include NBC’s “Friends” and “The Drew Carey Show,” produced by Warner Bros. Television; and NBC’s “Law & Order,” from Studios USA Television, the study reported.

“Friends,” “Law & Order,” Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle” and CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond” were also singled out as the four “worst offenders” in terms of hiring minorities and women for the current season.

“Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Malcolm in the Middle” have not hired either female or minority directors this season. “Friends” has employed a minority director for one episode, and “Law & Order” has hired a female director for one.

“The fanfare we’ve had for the last couple of years with TV executives saying they were committed to change are not reflected in the numbers we see,” said Rodney Mitchell, assistant executive director of the DGA.

“Unfortunately, we have not seen meaningful improvement in the hiring of minority and women directors for television or in film. This is just not acceptable to us.”

Emmy Award winner Paris Barclay, who has directed several episodes of “NYPD Blue, “ER” and “The West Wing,” said, “I’m really surprised by the number of shows that don’t have any diversity at all. And what really shocks me is that not one African American female director has directed a top 40 show. I can name 10--some with Oscar nominations--who are not even considered.”

Among other high-profile series, CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” from Alliance Atlantis and CBS Productions, and Fox’s “The X-Files,” from 20th Century Fox Television, hired one minority director and no female directors for episodes last season.

CBS’ “Becker,” from Paramount, “Malcolm in the Middle” (from Regency Television in association with Fox) and NBC’s “Providence” (from NBC Studios) were among shows that hired a single female director and no minorities. ABC’s “The Practice,” another 20th Century Fox production, hired one female director and one minority director.

Executives for “Law & Order” and “Malcolm in the Middle” declined to comment. Producers from Fox and Warner Bros. did not return phone calls.

“These numbers are terrible and embarrassing,” veteran film and TV director Martha Coolidge said. “Why is it happening? It’s called discrimination. It’s called comfort level. People don’t change easily until they have to.”

The study indicates that a significant pool of experienced minority and female directors is being overlooked, Mitchell said, adding that training programs--including a program that prepares directors for work on single-camera shows--are developing even more worthy candidates.

“There are plenty of women and minorities who can step in and take on assignments,” Mitchell said, placing most of the blame on studios supplying programs to the networks, as opposed to the networks themselves.

“The guild has conducted several meetings with networks and production companies, and they all reaffirm their commitment to diversity. Still, the results that we see are very disappointing.”

Ironically, many of the series listed in the report as being negligent in hiring minorities or women--including “Law & Order,” “The Practice,” and “Malcolm in the Middle”--have been repeatedly praised for casting minorities in key roles.

Said Barclay, “I really don’t understand ‘Law & Order.’ I’ve always wanted to direct an episode, but I cannot get a meeting with the producers.

“We understand that show runners want to work with people they’re comfortable with. What we’re asking is for an opportunity for them to be comfortable with others.”

Programs that had more than five episodes directed by minorities or females include NBC’s “Frasier” (Paramount), NBC’s “Just Shoot Me” (Universal Pictures), ABC’s “My Wife and Kids” (Touchstone Television), NBC’s “Three Sisters” (NBC Studios) and NBC’s “Third Watch” (Warner Bros.).

Because the report encompassed only the 40 most-watched programs, series from cable or the fledgling WB and UPN broadcast networks were not examined.

Barclay and Mitchell said they plan to sit down soon with series producers to discuss strategies that will result in the hiring of more female and minority directors. Mitchell said he hopes to see improvement when directing assignments are handed out this summer for next season.