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In a time when there is no shortage of programming, the major key to rising above the rest is authenticity. When applied to storytelling, it means telling the stories that best reflect the lived experiences of those that the story depicts.
Telling stories is one of the best ways to shed light on society and build empathy. Black creators over the years have worked towards broadening the spectrum of representation and bringing those stories to life that shows the humanity of Black people.
Right now we are experiencing a watershed moment. Not only are Black creators making a mark on cinema with movies like “Black Panther” and “Get Out,” they are also dominating the small screen. They are using their skills to tell stories about different aspects of the Black Experience and showing that Black folks are not a monolith.
After a long time, we have reached the point where we can point to TV programming that is about us. We no longer have to be the sidekicks or the sassy friend. We no longer have to be the casualty to elicit sympathy or create a sense of danger. Issa Rae’s “Insecure” shows singlehood from a young Black woman’s perspective. Justin Simian’s “Dear White People” is taking the discourse about race and sexuality and making sense of it. Lena Waithe’s “The Chi” is showing the humanity of determined young Black folks who are learning and growing while bravely facing life’s curve balls. These stories are bold and need to be told. These three projects are some of the most exciting shows on TV right now and the reason for their success is the uncompromising vision of their fearless creators.
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A common quality of stories that set the zeitgeist on fire is authenticity. It means to show the difficult truths without any compromise. No blows are softened when going for the gut punch. However, TV is a part of show business, a profit-motivated industry. The reason for these successes is that there is demand for such stories. No one today will buy straight-laced depictions like those offered by The Cosby Show. Considering what we know now, the once beloved TV classic looks like a bald-faced lie. However, network TV continues to struggle when it comes to being honest about Black folks.
Take into account what happened to NBC’s The Carmichael Show last year. In its third season, an episode about mass shootings was held back on account of it being scheduled on a day when two actual mass shootings took place. The show’s creator and star Jerrod Carmichael protested that he was robbed of the opportunity to contribute to the national conversation. This friction between Carmichael and the network ended the show abruptly. The network, which had excitedly took on the opinionated Carmichael, were now hesitant to work with someone outspoken like him. They saw him as a liability.
Similarly, the seemingly progressive ABC canned an entire episode of its show Black-ish due to a scene tackling the issue of kneeling during the national anthem. These two instances show that networks want to leverage provocation as long as it is beneficial but they actually don’t want to rock the boat. On the other hand, Roseanne is also on ABC making light of xenophobia, giving shades of grey to bigots with network approval. The Big Bang Theory, a show with terrible gender dynamics and race representation, gets to be renewed for two more seasons after running for a decade.
In an atmosphere like this, the only course forward for Black creators is to keep creating. They need to find platform and financing that gets them their audience without sacrificing their authentic voice. They should publicly protest when they are not given the same freedom as their white counterparts. It is this clap back that will ensure that Black creators can keep things real.
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