You ever turn on the T.V and just randomly flip through the channels just to see what’s on? Me, neither because I don’t have cable but as a kid growing up in the 2000s I used to get bored very quickly so, I would flip through my TV for hours on end, and doing this helped morphed what shows I would consume. Why is this important, you’re probably asking yourself… well growing up I never seen characters that were like me unless they were following a racist Indian stereotype ie Apu from the Simpsons, Raj from Big Bang Theory, Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb, etc. T.V in the 2000s and early 2010s feels very outdated nowadays with a lack of representation of certain ethnic groups and very harsh language (especially towards the LGBT+ community).
This isn’t anything new but after watching the Pioneers of Television episode, Funny Ladies in class, it blew my mind that women comics were so groundbreaking for it’s because now in 2020 we get shows like Tuca and Bertie, Broad City, and Unbreakable Kimmy Shmidt, shows that wouldn’t be here without I Love Lucy. I feel like representation in television has gotten a lot better as you get gems like Master of Naan which features an Indian main character who isn’t the brain of the cast or owns a 7/11 but we still have a long way to go as shows like to whitewash characters (meaning that they use a white actor for a character who wasn’t meant to be white i.e Iron Fist on Netflix) or use an all-white cast with little diversity.
One show that has one of the most diverse casts is Steven Universe which features characters with many different ethnic backgrounds and most of the cast is a part of the LGBT+. This show much like I Love Lucy has ushered an era of inclusivity and diversity within T.V as shows have tried to copy or take inspiration for example Adventure Time, Craig of the Creek, and Big Mouths. Just 10 years ago it was unheard of to have just 1 openly gay cartoon character on T.V but now with the vast amount of TV shows going to Netflix or Hulu they can take much more creative liberties with their work to give representation that these groups greatly deserved.
One question I would like to pass off to the reader is that do you believe that we should have more T.V shows that include more representation or do you believe that doing that will sacrifice the artist’s vision if it’s forced. I believe that it shouldn’t be forced because as an artist, you can’t force art, you have to just let it happen.
Mass Media and American Life 
In response to your question, I would say more representation across the board is needed and in all genres; maybe we wouldn’t have to sacrifice artistic vision? For awhile, it seemed that you only saw African-American actors on sci-fi shows. I think that for a long time people got used to only seeing White characters, but I feel like now we are seeing more of a variety, but we still have a ways to go. We need more authenticity and less “white-washing” of cultures.
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I think there is some desperate need for representation in every way for every group, however based on how things used to be, I think we’re in the right direction. I think we have huge ground to cover and fix some issues of glamourising eveyrything once it goes into Hollywood. I agree, art should not be forced at all, but in times like these I genuinely think there are already people out there working on art/scripts based off of the current issues. I doubt that nothing will come of it.
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I agree with the idea that things shouldn’t be forced, but I think that’s exactly why there should be much more diversity and representation in shows and such. The world is filled with diverse people and cultures, doesn’t it almost feel more forced that somehow everyone is white cisgender and heterosexual? Of course there will be objections to that statement but I honestly don’t believe it’s realistic for there to be such little diversity. Surely it exists, take my highschool for example where there were only about 3 students of color in total. But just as that exists in certain places, BIPOC, LGBT+, etc. exists in many more spaces. I remember when I was younger and 2 of my favorite female characters were confirmed to have dated and I cried out of joy, it’s such a simple way to make people feel seen and included, I don’t see why the movement of more representation in media should slow down any time soon.
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