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CBS Drops The Ball With Diversity In Fall TV Lineup

With six new shows starring straight white guys, network honcho Glenn Geller says "we need to do better."

Television networks are unveiling their new fall lineups this week at the Television Critics Association’s press tour, where at least one channel has come up short on diversity.

CBS is being taken to task for putting white, straight male characters at the center of six of their big new shows.

Kevin James will star in Kevin Can Wait, Matt LeBlanc in Man With a Plan, Joel McHale in The Great Indoors, Dermot Mulroney in Pure Genius, Michael Weatherly in the legal drama Bull and Lucas Till stars in a reboot of MacGyver.

On Wednesday, reporters grilled CBS entertainment president Glenn Geller about the network’s diversity problem.

“What message does it send,” asked one reporter, “that the leads of your shows in the fall are all heterosexual white men?”

“I’m really glad this question came up first because we’re very mindful at CBS about the importance of diversity and inclusion and I’m glad we’re having this conversation first,” Geller responded. "We need to do better and we know it."

"In terms of leads, we are definitely less diverse this year than last year," he admitted, "and like I said, we need to do better. But in terms of overall diversity in our new shows, we were actually more diverse this year than last year, and I think that that’s our commitment to diversity. It is ongoing.”

Geller noted that, of 16 regular characters added to CBS shows since May, 11 are minority or LGBT actors.

"Those new cast members are not leads but they are series regulars in prominent roles," he said. "They do drive story and they will be seen.”

Returning series, NCIS: LA and Hawaii Five-0, feature more diverse ensemble casts and shows like Mom, Two Broke Girls and Madam Secretary are female-led.

But most of those shows—and others like The Big Bang Theory, Elementary and Blue Bloods—relegate minorities to supporting roles.

According to the L.A. Times, CBS has the lowest number of minority leads among broadcast networks and is the only one without a series built around a family of color.

For LGBT viewers there is representation coming, though it may not be front and center: Laverne Cox will become the first trans actor to have a regular role on a broadcast network series when she joins the new Katherine Heigl legal drama Doubt, premiering mid-season.

And legendary gay British wit Stephen Fry will appear in the sitcom The Great Indoors, as the publisher of the magazine Joel McHale works at.

"This is a very personal topic for me, being a gay man,” said Geller of the criticism levied at the network. “I feel we are getting more representative. We are doing everything we can, and will continue to do everything we can.”

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