Sometimes the power of the people wins.
Evidence of this is how the entertainment industry
changed the way they did business and started to cast more people of color as
well as those with different lifestyles. These people didn’t just get cast in
roles, many of them were cast as the main character.
It doesn’t matter if it was through non-cable (CBS,
NBC, FOX, ABC) channels, cable stations (HBO, Showtime, Starz, Epix, Cinemax)
or streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon). The changes have been huge
although some of these results have been mixed as some viewers have struggled
with the changes in the way shows or movies have been made either through
casting or the topics of these shows.
There are those who believe casting certain people
doesn’t add to the story; that they are just cast in order for the studio
executives to get more viewers and make more money.
It is important to note that, this is the same reason
why studio executives will put certain shows in the best time slots or renew
the show for seasons at a time. Viewers and money are the two thing they
understand.
Whether Hollywood will keep this trend going or lessen
it as time goes on, due to their long history of ignoring minorities and women
remains to be seen and although the change is good, they still have a lot of
work to do. They are still not giving roles to female actresses over 40, they
also are not paying females the same amount the males get, continue to
marginalize and sexualize women, and still grossly underrepresenting other
minorities such as Asians and Native Americans.
Not all shows have jumped on the bandwagon and the
studios don’t seem to mind it which indicates the change may not be as
permanent as people may be hoping for.
Such is the case with the TV show Blue Bloods.
Now in its 13 season, it has become more conservative
most likely due to the fact that Tom Selleck (a staunch Republican) became an
executive producer.
Recently, Selleck stated that the NYPD loves the show
and feels it’s a good representation of the department, but it isn’t. It’s a
representation of a white NYPD. An NYPD that hasn’t existed for a long time.
Today, the NYPD police force is comprised of 53% people of color and 47%
Caucasian.
On Blue Bloods, it’s more like 8% of their officers
are people of color. They probably want to get credit that Officer Janko had
two partners who were women of color, but these partners didn’t stay around for
too long.
They do have episodes where a person of color is
featured in the storyline, but they usually either get killed on the show or
decide to leave the NYPD.
People of color can’t even catch a break by being cast
as the criminal since most of the legal ne’er-do-wells are usually white.
In season 12 (episode 16, Guilt), the show
runners demonstrated just how offensive they can be towards people of color.
Decorated Detective Angela Reddick (Ilfenesh Hadera) decided she wanted to be a
part of Commissioner Reagan’s team. The Commissioner tried his best to get her
to consider another assignment, but she stood her ground. Frank finally gave in
and gave her a spot on his all-white team (Baker, Moore, and Gormley). She was
strong and opiniated which is what you may expect from a seasoned police
officer with a higher rank. Basically, she refused to bow and know-tow, to take
her assigned place at the end of the line which infuriated the team. They went
to Frank who agreed to have her reassigned. Once she was reassigned, she ended
getting shot which made everyone feel guilty.
For a show that boasts how they tackle difficult
subjects and storylines, they missed a teachable moment. Not one of them ever
admitted that it was racist and sexist the way that they treated her. The
guilt wasn’t necessarily about her getting shot, but their own attitudes
towards a woman of color. Not any of them, including the so-called beacon of honesty,
Frank Reagan.
The show is also a pro-Catholic TV show. In only 3
episodes over 13 years have viewers seen Commissioner Reagan consulting with commanders
of different religions such as Jewish, Buddhist, or Muslim.
The show runners of Blue Bloods would also want credit
for casting people of color as members of the cast.
A member of the cast. Apparently, they have a quota of
only having one although they are not opposed to have a person of color as a
recurring cast member just as long as it doesn’t recur for more than 5
episodes.
One person of color as a member of the main cast isn’t
diversity. It’s tokenism.
The current token is actress Marissa Ramirez who plays
Danny Reagan’s partner Detective Maria Baez.
Despite the fact that she is equal in rank to Danny
Reagan and with the same amount of time on the job, she’s more like an
assistant than a detective. The character should really be honored that on
occasion she is able to play the part of Reagan’s conscious or babysitter.
Marissa Ramirez is a seasoned actress with six film
credits and 29 television credits which total 17 years of experience. She’s
obviously proved that she’s cable of handling a larger responsibility when it
comes to characters and their roles.
Honestly, Blue Bloods has a lot going for it.
Most of the stories are actually very good. Donnie
Wahlberg as Danny Reagan, Robert Clohessy as Sid Gormley, Gregory Jbara as
Garrett Moore, and Steven Schirripa as Anthony Abetemarco are exceptional
actors who always bring their A-game to every scene they’re in.
It’s just a shame that this show is more about
entitlement than it is about equality.
Recently Kevin Wade, the show runner for Blue Bloods
stated in an interview with TVLine.com, “So we don’t tell serialized stories,
we don’t have cliffhangers, we don’t replace cast members…. Many of the tools
that long-running shows have, very much to our credit or to whatever, we don’t
have at our disposal, so we try to work with what we have.”
Apparently, they don’t believe in the importance of
having any diversity in the casting of characters or equality when it comes to
the female characters versus the male characters either.
They also have a family where none of them have any
real friends outside their work or family. With a very few exceptions, they
never have guests over for the family dinners. This is disturbing in itself.
The exclusiveness is unsettling and if this was a family in real life, it would
probably bring some unwanted attention to itself as this type of behavior is
considered to be unnatural and suspicious.
Blue Bloods is a popular show and is a money-maker for
CBS. The studio executives won’t see anything wrong with it until they start to
lose viewership and money. Then they’ll use the caliber of the show as a reason
why they’ve decided to cancel it without admitting any of it was their own
fault.
Let’s just see it for what it is. This a TV show about
a white family, living in a nonexistent white city, and working for a white
department that’s supposed to be a replicant of a real city department.
Unlike other police procedures such as FBI, Law &
Order: SVU, FBI: Most Wanted, and East New York (which depicts New York and its
police force exactly the way it is), Blue Bloods is fighting against the very
thing that most people want, TV shows that show the world as it is: diverse and
equal.
It continues to maintain an invisible sign that says
people of color need not apply.
