Finding out what kind of TV shows are hitting the networks every fall is basically my Christmas, but when it came to this year’s CBS lineup, it was a bit like getting the same gifts two years in a row. After debuting a fall lineup with six shows all starring white males last year, CBS’s upcoming fall lineup includes five shows with white male stars and one featuring former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore. Um, where are the ladies, CBS?
Entertainment Weekly reports that in response to the male-dominated programming, CBS chief Les Moonves said at a press event, “More women watch CBS, percentage-wise, than any other network, so our shows have a lot of female appeal…We do a number of pilots, a lot of them have women in starring roles. There are a lot of women on the schedule. The best pilots win at the end of the day. And we think our track record is okay.”
Although Moonves is not entirely in the wrong—CBS currently airs the hit Madam Secretary and has had success with female-centric The Good Wife and its recent spinoff The Good Fight—one reporter didn’t let him off easy, pointing out other networks’ efforts to make sure women are well-represented in the industry and wondering, “It seems like you guys might be facing in the wrong direction?”
Moonves defended the network, saying, “I don’t think that’s the case…When I look at the totality of what CBS is, I look at news, I look at daytime, I look at sports, I look at Showtime, I look at The CW. And when you look at the totality of that…I think we’re doing a very good job. I don’t think we’re looking in the wrong direction, on the contrary.”
CBS may have a decent record of highlighting female stars on its shows, but the fact that such a lack of diversity occurred twice in a row is concerning during this golden age of TV. Here’s hoping for a better lineup next year!