Looks like white is always right and everything Black is getting… axed?
TV companies NBC and CBS have canceled many shows over the past few weeks. May is usually the time when these big networks decide their schedules for the fall, and most of the shows that are getting cancelled are Black-led shows, which has sparked outrage against these companies.
In response to the backlash, these companies have been trying to justify their reasons for canceling these shows by pointing to financial commitment, declining ratings and not enough room for their upcoming fall schedule.
To make matters worse, there aren’t any Black or POC-led shows that will fill TV slots this fall because of newly acquired NBA coverage on NBC or prioritizing existing spinoff shows like CBS.
Furthermore, CBS was trying to distance itself from these cancellations, but later did address them, saying,” We have to be fiscally responsible and ultimately, those deals and the shows just weren’t penciling out for us from an economic perspective.”
Stars of these now-cancelled shows, such as Queen Latifah, Shemar Moore, and Cedric the Entertainer, have thanked fans for supporting their shows.
Fan-favorite shows are coming to an end
Long-running series, “SWAT” and “The Neighborhood,” are ending after their eighth season.
“SWAT” was canceled three weeks before its season eight finale on March 7. The show stars Shemar Moore as Hondo Harrelson, a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT lieutenant balancing his professional and personal life. The show was initially canceled in 2023 after its sixth season, but CBS reversed the decision and renewed “SWAT” for a seventh season. Last year, the series secured an eighth season and final season.
“The Neighborhood” aired its final episode of the seventh season on May 5 before the announcement that the eighth season would be its last on March 10. The comedy follows the Johnsons and the Butler family coexisting as next-door neighbors. The series stars Cedric the Entertainer, Max Greenfield, Tichina Arnold, and Beth Behrs.
Three Black shows were canceled in one day
CBS announced the spinoffs of “The Equalizer” and “The Neighborhood” would not be moving forward, along with the sitcom “Poppa’s House,” on April 22.
“The Equalizer” spinoff was going to star actors Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz, who appeared in the April 20 episode of The Equalizer. The spinoff would have followed Welliver’s character, Hudson Reed, as a CIA operative with a dark history. Feliz would have starred as Samantha Reed, whose father trained her in martial arts and weaponry with a hidden past.
Actors Marcel Spears and Sheaun McKinney would have left “The Neighborhood” to lead the spinoff show, with their characters Malcolm and Marty Butler moving to Venice Beach. The season seven finale of the main series served as a backdoor pilot for the spinoff with guest appearances from Justin Long, Kara Royster, Hunter King, and Angelique Cabral that would have been part of the main cast.
“Poppa’s House” was canceled after one season. The sitcom starred Damon Wayans Sr. as Poppa, Essence Atkins as Ivy and Damon Wayans Jr. as himself. The show follows Poppa juggling his home and work life with co-hosting his show with Ivy while also supporting his son. It was the least watched scripted TV series of the 2024-25 slate, averaging almost 4.1 million viewers.
Most Unexpected Cancellation
“The Equalizer,” a drama series, has been canceled after five seasons. This announcement was made just two days before the season five finale aired on May 4. Queen Latifah stars as Robyn McCall, a former CIA operative turned vigilante. Season five averaged six million viewers, a decline compared to season four, which saw a schedule change from 8 pm to 10 pm on Sundays.
NBC is following suit
More recently, NBC has announced the cancellation of several shows, including drama series “Found” and “The Irrational,” on May 9. Both shows premiered in the Fall of 2023 after the writer’s strike.
“Found” starred Shanola Hampton as Gabi Mosely, a recovery specialist who uses her team to help find missing people. The series was canceled after two seasons, six days before the season two finale. The first season drew in 10.5 million viewers in the first week but saw a major decrease in viewership in its second season, which factored into the decision.
Similarly, “The Irrational” was canceled after two seasons, with its last episode airing on March 25. The series had 12.5 million viewers in its first 15 days, with a season two renewal last November, and then saw declining viewership over the last couple of years. The series starred Jesse L. Martin, of “Law & Order” fame, as Alec Mercer, a world-renowned professor who offers his unique perspective that helps out in high-stakes cases involving the FBI and government officials.
Other shows that have been scraped include “Lopez v. Lopez,” “Mr. Throwback,” “LA Suits,” “Harlem,” “How to Die Alone,” “Wayne Brady: The Family Remix,” “The Recruit” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”
Black shows that are still going
With all the cancellations, here are some shows that are sticking around…
9-1-1 starring Angela Bassett has been renewed for a ninth season on ABC, extending the run of the drama series.
A new drama series loosely based on the Sherlock Holmes stories, “Watson,” which premiered on January 25 of this year, has been given a second season. This series stars Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson, head of a clinic that treats rare diseases.
The breakout series on Hulu, “Paradise,” starring Sterling K. Brown, was renewed for a second season in late February.
Comedy series “Abbott Elementary” starring Quinta Brunson was renewed for a fifth season, which is premiering in the fall.
Other shows that are getting a new season include “Reasonable Doubt,” “Cross”, Beyond the Gates” and “Forever.”
I know people are disappointed and upset that these shows got canceled but showing up for the new and upcoming shows shows that these studios can’t erase diversity from their screens.
