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Loading...“Grey’s Anatomy” Creator Makes TV History
“Scandal” star Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope
by Flo McAfee
Television makes history this week with the premiere of the new ABC series, Scandal. Thirty-seven years after the first hour-long prime-time dramatic series with an African-American woman in the lead role aired on television, ABC does it again. In 1974, Teresa Graves starred as policewoman Christie Love on ABC’s short-lived Get Christie Love. Now the network is moving forward and making history with Shonda Rhimes‘ latest drama starring Kerry Washington as DC fixer Olivia Pope. It is the fourth hour-long drama with a black woman in the lead including two cable shows: TNT’s HawthoRNe produced and starring Jada Pinkett Smith and HBO’s The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency starring Jill Scott.
Breaking new ground, but…
When Scandal debuts on April 5, it comes with a few firsts. It will be the first dramatic network television series written and produced by an African-American woman for an African-American woman in the lead role. Another first is the show’s inspiration, Judy Smith, Washington, D.C. crisis communications pro, co-executive producer of the show, and a beautiful living role model. Still, little overshadows that in 2012, 62 years after Ethel Waters starred as the first African-American on network TV in the ABC sitcom Beulah too few black women play dramatic leads on television.
TV has neither been generous nor diverse when it comes to casting African-American actresses. In TV history, most roles for black actresses lean towards comedy and away from drama. There seem to be more roles for black women playing the help than playing women who hire them.
Since 1944, when regular network broadcasting began on NBC, the television industry has undergone revolutionary changes. But for African-American actresses, winning roles remains a challenge and too often revolves around the same choices. The advent of cable outlets such as BET, TV One, VH1 and TBS, increased the number, but not necessarily the variety of available roles for black women. Comedy slots are still popular. Reality TV roles rule from Real Housewives of Atlanta to Basketball Wives to shows with women who sing, model, rap or love rappers. Dramatic leads are limited even though unlimited drama defines reality TV.
Some good moments
There have been a few promising moments and roles for black women, mostly as supporting actors in a small number of dramas. Diahann Carroll was the first African-American woman to star in a sitcom, Julia, which debuted on ABC in 1968 and ran for three years. In 1969, two variety shows starred black women: The Leslie Uggams Show that ran less than three months, and The Barbara McNair Show, which aired for three years. African-American women have co-starred in ensemble cast dramas such as Soul Food, The Game, Undercovers, S. Epatha Merkerson in Law and Order, Alfre Woodard in Memphis Beat, and Taraji P. Henson in Person of Interest and more. Some of the most talented black leading women, including Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Debbi Morgan, and Nichelle Nichols, have been limited to leading supporting roles or guests spots on dramas. And, of course, there is rare groundbreaking television with Oprah Winfrey and her long-running, successful syndicated talk show as well as all the upcoming possibilities from OWN.
Read more: abc, African-American woman, Beulah, Diahn Carroll, Ethel Waters, Grey's Anatomy, Julia, Kerry Washington, Nurse Hawthorne, Olivia Pope, scandal, Shonda Rhimes
Photo from ABC with permission
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
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Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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34 comments
+ add your ownI am very glad to hear of a well-written show that will have African americans as the main actors. If the show is good, people will watch it across racial lines.
Awesome job Flo! I definitely will watch the show.
Thanks for the article.
Looking forward to watching 'scandal'
Good for her, but I have to say, the lack of Giant Robots really doesn't speak to me.
I'm kidding, I barely watch anything anyway. But best of luck to Scandal. :)
OK
I feel a bit stupid... how is it groundbreaking? The article is citing all these other shows that already had a black woman in the lead role.
Good news to read, thank you.
Maybe more black people need to get into the 'money' end of things so that thier 'dollar power' means something.
This is good news. Though I do not watch much television besides Animal Planet, I support equality and encourage it.
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