Arts & Life

Let's Review

Let’s Review is a podcast focused on current events, pop culture, identity, and the tricky art of navigating life. Your hosts are All Things Considered host Jenn White, and Michigan Radio's social media producer Kim Springer.Each episode has two parts. In part one of Let’s Review, Kim and Jenn propose a thematic topic. Sometimes they talk to a special, knowledgeable guest to get to the heart of why the topic is important. In part two of our show, "For Your Review," Jenn and Kim give you recommendations for theme-related reading, viewing, listening, etc. Cultural and political observation should come with productive suggestions for moving the conversation forward. That’s why this is a podcast with homework.

?Are we seeing a new era in black representation on TV?

Michigan Public

Published May 1, 2015 at 4:52 PM EDT

In this Let's Review session, your podcast co-hosts Kim and Jenn get at the heart of a listener question about the proliferation of black leads on TV.

Are we seeing a new era in black representation on TV? What's happening behind-the-scenes? Is there progress there?

Spoiler alert: nope.

But that doesn't stop us from having a great, informative conversation.

For some historical and contemporary production context, we spoke with Robin Means Coleman, chair of the Department of Communications at the University of Michigan. She joined us to share the trajectory of black inclusion on American television since its beginnings in the 1940s.

Darnell Hunt is director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American studies at UCLA. He shared with us data and insights from the Center’s annual Hollywood Diversity Report. Hunt co-wrote the report with Ana-Christina Ramon. He also gets to the heart of our question comparing what’s happening on television and in film.

Television shows we discuss include: Empire, Beulah, Julia, Amos n' Andy, Fresh Off the Boat, Power, Jane the Virgin, and Scandal.

There are a lot more we could've talked about, so after you listen to the podcast, tell us what you're watching.

Are you seeing something different on your screen?