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TV Lacks Diversity

The 1980s hit "The Cosby Show"  wasn't the first black sitcom to appeal to the masses, but the Bill Cosby comedy was the first black sitcom to become a No. 1-rated program. And because of Cosby's wide-reaching and critical success, broadcast networks such as ABC, CBS and NBC went on to produce dozens of other hit sitcoms with predominately African-American casts. Now, however, black sitcoms are painfully absent from the primetime landscape on broadcast TV and instead have been relegated to basic cable. Blame it on the onslaught of cable networks, the influx of reality TV shows and the short-lived death of situational comedies — for two years, there hasn't been a sitcom with a predominately black cast on broadcast TV. Instead, the networks have diverse casts comprised of white, black, Asian and Latino actors with shows like "Community," "The Office" and "Modern Family." "Back when 'The Cosby Show' was on television, all of the networks were eager to create sitcoms with African-American families because they thought they were reversing years of discrimination," said Paul Levinson, professor of media studies at Fordham University in New York. "But today, blacks are mainstream and the president is black. Because of this, television executives and producers don't think they need to base sitcoms around African-Americans." Click here to read more.
 
 



INSIGHT Into Diversity