ABC TV Channeling Diversity

Photo+from+Disney+%7C+ABC+Television+Group+via+Flickr+under+Creative+Commons+license

Photo from Disney | ABC Television Group via Flickr under Creative Commons license

ABC isn’t just some television channel, but an acronym for American-Broadcasting Company, and that’s what ABC is doing—broadcasting America. In the 2014-2015 lineup for next year, the network will be presenting new shows with black, Latin, and Asian leads who will add to the diversity of the entertainment industry.

According to Paul Lee, President of ABC Entertainment, “You’re going to see shows reflecting the already-changed face of America.” The network plans on bringing more “brilliant and diverse voices to network television.”

On Wednesday nights at 9:30, “Black-ish” will star Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross as Andre and Rainbow Johnson, along with their four kids, and the dynamic of their family in a white suburban neighborhood. The show will follow the struggle between Andre, the father who attempts to keep the family’s black culture, and his kids who want to fit in with their white classmates.

On Fridays nights, “Cristela” will air at 8:30 p.m. This show will star Cristela Alonzo as a law student conflicted between her American and Mexican roots.

“Fresh Off the Boat” will be the first sitcom across all networks in 20 years to star an Asian American family. This show takes place in the 90s, and Hudson Yang plays 12 year-old Eddie, who has just moved to Orlando with his two younger brothers and his parents, Louis and Jessica, played by Randall Park and Constance Wu. This show depicts an immigrant family that pursues the American Dream while handling the culture shock.

These new shows will become a true representation of America as one big mixture of ethnicities and cultures. America is no longer the few colonies it was back in the 17th century or the land it was far before any explorers had “discovered” the continent. The diversity in America sets it apart from any other country and is what makes it the country it is today. ABC’s revolutionary attempt to incorporate diverse actors and actresses will open people’s eyes to the changing population of America today. Hopefully, people will soon realize that America is built upon diversity; through the most universal American form of entertainment, this goal may finally be attained.