“Rel,” starring Lil Rel Howery, “The Cool Kids” led by David Alan Grier and Lee Daniels‘ “Star” are just a few of the shows that have been recently canceled by Fox. And considering all of them have Black leads, one of the top executives talked about diversity at the network going forward.
During a press call published by Deadline, Fox’s Chief Executive of Entertainment Charlie Collier said increasing diversity at the network was never a onetime experiment but a continued effort whether a show is cancelled or not.
“The diversity of Fox is an issue that is so important and an ongoing effort for us to make sure we’re best in class,” said Collier, who just landed at Fox from the AMC Networks in November.
“As I was looking at Fox and joining, what’s remarkable is that the history of this company and what it’s done in terms of diversity … If you look across our slate in terms of scripted and unscripted and sports, we really are doing a good job, but the job never stops,” Collier said. “The effort continues, it never stops.”
Other shows with Black leads that Fox pulled the plug on include “Lethal Weapon,” starring Damon Wayans, and “Proven Innocent,” fronted by Russell Hornsby. Additionally, it was just announced that “Empire” will end after its upcoming sixth season.
On top of that, “Rosewood,” which starred Morris Chestnut, was canceled after two seasons in 2017, and at the time he spoke about diversity at Fox and gave the network credit.
On that show Chestnut portrayed the character of Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr., a pathologist who works closely with the police, and his co-star was played by Jaina Lee Ortiz, a Latina from the Bronx, New York.
“FOX provided a platform for a show that made strides in diversity and the positive images it projected as all-inclusive,” wrote Chestnut.
