Did 'Frasier's' Lack Of Diversity Hurt The Show's Legacy At All???

[Brian Damage]

Do You Think 'Frasier' not casting many roles of different ethnic races hurt the show at all?

[bingbangbaby]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Do You Think 'Frasier' not casting many roles of different ethnic races hurt the show at all?

I think it might if the show were premiering now, in 2012, but in 1993 there were still "white shows" and "black shows" with very little diverse casting. Even Cosby only had the occasional white or hispanic character. In 1993, the top ten shows were:
1. 60 Minutes
2. Home Improvement
3. Seinfeld
4. Roseanne
5. Grace Under Fire
6. Coach
7. Frasier
8. Monday Night Football
9. Murphy Brown
10. CBS Sunday Night Movie

The only diverse casting you're going to see in that lineup is Monday night Football... so I think for it's time it was average casting for a "white show." As time went on and the regular cast cemented, all they could really do is cast guests of different ethinicities... which they did to a small degree, as well as made fun of themselves and the characters for not having many friends/associations with people of different cultures. I think to some degree, that was part of the show's humor, too, was that they were oh so "white bread," the same way that a big part of "Roseanne"'s humor was based on their lifestyle and economic level.

[Schmoopie]

Originally Posted by bingbangbaby

I think it might if the show were premiering now, in 2012, but in 1993 there were still "white shows" and "black shows" with very little diverse casting. Even Cosby only had the occasional white or hispanic character. In 1993, the top ten shows were:
1. 60 Minutes
2. Home Improvement
3. Seinfeld
4. Roseanne
5. Grace Under Fire
6. Coach
7. Frasier
8. Monday Night Football
9. Murphy Brown
10. CBS Sunday Night Movie

The only diverse casting you're going to see in that lineup is Monday night Football... so I think for it's time it was average casting for a "white show." As time went on and the regular cast cemented, all they could really do is cast guests of different ethinicities... which they did to a small degree, as well as made fun of themselves and the characters for not having many friends/associations with people of different cultures. I think to some degree, that was part of the show's humor, too, was that they were oh so "white bread," the same way that a big part of "Roseanne"'s humor was based on their lifestyle and economic level.

Wow, that was very well put!

[Rezny@gmail.com]

Nope. Diversity hurts shows.Not a PC answer but it's the truth.

[bingbangbaby]

Originally Posted by Rezny@gmail.com

Nope. Diversity hurts shows.Not a PC answer but it's the truth.

I don't know if that's totally true, but I do know what you mean. Sometimes a lot of characters of different ethnicities makes for difficult storylines because they're usually not family, and if they're friends, they are usually new friends, not people who have been friends for a long time and have a lot in common. So a lot of times the only premise for a show with a diverse cast is the fact that all these people are in some situation (neighbors, co-workers, etc) and are so different from each other (like Community... the main premise of that show centers around the diverse people). It can be hard to find a common ground among some many different kinds of people that would work long enough to make a successful show out of it. And since a show like that isn't obviously aimed at any one group, it may also be hard to find an audience long enough to keep the show on the air too.