Is any series ever safe from cancelation? If budget concerns and all sorts of excuses are a thing, why aren’t we ending the shows that go on for 20+ seasons to make room for other series to have a proper run? It’s exceedingly frustrating where storytelling is concerned, and it makes it incredibly difficult for viewers to trust new shows when this is becoming the norm. The latest victim of this is NCIS: Hawai’i, which I don’t even watch but can see the heartbreaking uproar because, once again, it’s the show with diversity that gets axed.
This has been an immense problem in the last five years, and it’s getting to a point where it’s tough not to question what’s happening behind the scenes on networks. Julie and the Phantoms, Shadow and Bone, Vampire Academy, How I Met Your Father, With Love, and NCIS: Hawai’i, among many others, all have the same things in common: diverse casts and LGBTQ+ representation.
How is this even possible when the network recently green-lit a spin-off series led by a white character? There are so many things wrong with this, and there’s no justifiable way to defend it. The occurrence is far too common now to merely brush it off for budgetary reasons. It feels intentional. It feels like the shows with quality representation are disposable, and with that, it feels like an intentional blow to the fans who devote years to appreciating minorities in our media.
People keep arguing that the media is now “too woke.” Well, networks perpetuate this gross belief by telling those exact people that media with proper representation isn’t as crucial as those led by primarily white and straight characters. It’s insulting, it’s agonizing, and it’s deeply upsetting. Again, I don’t even watch the series, but damn if it isn’t disturbing to continue seeing this pattern on TV. What’s it going to take for representation to make it to the end?