Nine out of 10 Hollywood show-runners are white, and a majority of them are men, according to a recent study by Darnell Hunt, dean of social sciences at UCLA. The study also found that two-thirds of shows across 18 different channels and platforms have no African-American writers involved, and another 17% only have one. Hunt argues that this results in inaccurate, stereotype-based portrayals of African-Americans in TV shows.
Why it matters: Hollywood has already been under fire after several filmmakers have been accused of sexual harassment and assault. This study highlights more social issues within Hollywood, which tends to promote progressive and inclusive ideals.
The culprits: The worst platform for race inclusion was Hulu, with no African-American writers in any of the eight original comedy and drama series studied. However, all of their shows included at least two women writers. NBC had the highest percentage of shows with at least one African-American writer, at 60%, and 88% of their shows had two or more women writers.
How it worked: The study analyzed 1,678 first-run episodes from the 234 original comedy and drama series broadcasted or streamed on 18 platforms during the 2016-2017 season.