June 9, 2016

Variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to television. There are only so many versions of a medical drama you can watch before the formula gets old, and the same goes for characters. How many times have we watched an awkward white guy desperate for love struggle through the dating world in a sitcom? (I’m looking at you, Ted Mosby.)

But lucky for us, television is changing. There are so many great TV shows now that have diverse casting and interesting writing. If you haven’t seen any of these shows below, I highly recommend adding them to your list on Netflix or Hulu.

**If you like comedies… **
Comedies on television are really hitting a golden age. From the Netflix Original “Master of None” starring Aziz Ansari to the CW’s “Jane the Virgin” with Gina Rodriguez, there are so many shows that are telling new and refreshing stories.

“Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” both feature large casts that have well-developed characters and don’t treat them like stereotypes. Plus, “Parks and Recreation” has this scene which changed a generation.

The brilliant thing about most of these comedies is that they are unafraid to speak about difficult topics. “Fresh Off the Boat” had an episode that dealt with how Asian Americans often are pressured into taking more “American” names that are easier to pronounce. “Black-ish” did an episode this past season on police brutality that was funny and took care to be serious when it needed to be.

**If you like superheroes and sci-fi…**
The original run of “Star Trek” was revolutionary, being the first show to ever show an interracial kiss and basically change sci-fi forever. But in years that followed, sci-fi has struggled to keep itself diverse. The shows today though are slowly making progress with many superhero shows at the forefront.

“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is a tie-in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that was originally spun off when people really, really wanted Agent Phil Coulson to come back after his death in “The Avengers.” The show’s cast has just grown since its premiere and even features Daisy Johnson aka Quake, one of the first Asian-American superheroes on television.

Shows like “Agent Carter,” “Jessica Jones” and “Supergirl” are all female-led and have told some great women-centric stories. “Agent Carter” shows sexism in the workplace, as Peggy Carter tries to regain respect in a post-WWII world. “Jessica Jones” follows the titular character’s journey to deal with the emotional toll of being raped and is a must-watch.

**If you like dramas…**
Shonda Rhimes is the drama television queen. “Grey’s Anatomy” is on its 12th season. Viola Davis won an Emmy for her work as the main character on “How to Get Away with Murder.” Rhimes basically owns Thursday nights.

Her shows feature large diverse casts and all of them are led by women. The shows are also unafraid to talk about difficult topics like abortion which was recently in an episode of “Scandal.”

Other than Rhimes’ shows, “Orange is the New Black” is one of the best dramedies out there. It’s one of Netflix’s most popular shows and features a cast of mostly women. The show takes place in a women’s correctional facility and looks back into the experiences of the women to see what brought them there.

Comments

The Maneater has the right to remove comments that do not comply with policies surrounding hate speech.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content