The CW is, on paper, one of the most diverse TV networks, yet it's still overwhelmingly white

The Mary Sue

Vanessa Morgan's calling out Riverdale's diversity issues last week, especially when it comes to black cast members, seems to be part of a larger CW problem. "With a handful of exceptions, The CW is still an overwhelmingly white network," says Princess Weekes. "The shows that do feature Black or non-white characters tend to be 'Black' programs that largely deal with race and put the focus on Blackness in storytelling. Even with Charmed, which has two biracial Black leads and one Latina lead, there are still hardly any dark-skinned regulars on the show. Despite being excellent shows, you don’t hear Black Lightning afforded the same respect and love from Arrowverse fans. All American is a great spiritual successor to one of my favorite shows ever, Friday Night Lights, but again, crickets when it comes from the same camps that are so excited about diversity online but don’t show up for it onscreen." Weekes adds: "The root of my frustration with The CW comes from The Vampire Diaries and its spinoff, The Originals. During the entire run of that show, I and other Black fans screamed about the mistreatment of Bonnet Bennet (Kat Graham) and the way Black and Brown bodies were treated on that show. Bonnie was a plot device brought out when there was a problem that needed solving, no matter what she needed, wanted, or whether her life was in danger. Yes, there was a lot of death on the show, but as Bonnie was the only main character of color the show ever had, it was made all the more jarring how often she was turned into a magical negro rather than a person. That trend continued on The Originals and was only made even more frustrating by the language used around its main Black male character, Marcel. His character was a former slave, eventually turned vampire, and his entire storyline was about him feeling mistreated and not considered good enough by his white adoptive family. Yet, the show never understood for a single moment the implications of what they were saying."