Oy, I love the fall. Crunching leaves, crisp air, warm sweaters … Wait, I live in Los Angeles. Never mind.
There is still one warm and spicy caffeinated pumpkin-flavored fall constant … TV! Now is the time to meet new shows, welcome back returning favorites and get way too excited when Adam Scott shows up at the end of episode 3.2 of The Good Place.
Not to put myself in the metaphorical “pessimist” box, but *removes lid,* *takes off heels,* *climbs in,* I am sure that in another few weeks the Internet (and this blog) will be abundant with new qualms about the many misrepresentations, belittling jokes and whatever new, degrading dreck gets aired this season. Before that happens, I want to put hopeful thoughts into the universe.
So, I present to you my Fall 2018 Television Wish List:
- Characters with disabilities as regular, fleshed-out characters.
- More healthy friendships between men and women.
- More close, loving friendships between everyone.
- The token “playboy” character played by a woman.
- Fat characters who get to be beautiful, happy people and not punchlines or people who have their development centered around “inspirational” weight loss.
In general, there is still a need for better LGBT+ representation. This sentiment was echoed in several comments I received, like this one from a reader named Zack:
“LGBTQ!!! (Especially some B representation)”
After talking to others about what they hope to see this season, there was a resounding cry for more non-binary characters. While there is increasingly more LGBT representation, non-binary folks are still being left out of most shows.
#ShowUsYourRoom
The best way to increase the variety of stories being told is focusing on who’s telling them. We’re not going to see in-depth depictions of minority groups if most writer’s rooms are comprised of white, straight, cisgender men. “More POC and women in the writers’ rooms #showusyourroom” (credit to South Park writer Amanda Idoko for creating the hashtag)
Instead of hiding from this challenge and hoping it goes away, non inclusive rooms should share their room pics and pledge to #DoBetter. And then actually do better #showusyourroom
— Amanda Idoko (@amidoko) September 24, 2018
Oh magical TV angels, hear our cry!
It’s a common consensus that we want more than a bunch of straight, skinny, white people hanging out in a bar or coffee shop. So many people don’t get their stories told on TV. Others only get to come in as a punchline or a cheap ploy for an Emmy nod. It’s time for a wider range of people to have their stories told, and we deserve to have them told well.
In such a tense political time, many of us are turning to TV as a break and distraction. That break is much more cathartic when we can see ourselves clearly represented by the characters on our screen. Hopefully this fall season doesn’t disappoint.
