For those of you that follow along here at PCU, you know I’m a screenwriter trying like hell to break into TV. So, when I heard the new fall line-up at CBS, included shows like “Training Day” and a “MacGyver” reboot I was beyond upset. Why? Let’s examine three of the new main season openers (“Training Day” is a mid-season replacement.) and why they may lack the diversity that crowds are asking for. (And don’t place ALL the blame on the writer or the network, spread it around! The casting director is responsible in large part for who gets what roles and if the script isn’t specific, they chose whomever they bloody well feel like.)

MacGyver stars Lucas Till as the title character, Angus MacGyver and George Eads as Jack Dalton and it’s safe to say the former CSI star will be a series regular. Why did they choose to retell MacGyver? Well it was a very popular series. Could they have diversified it? Probably so: MacGyver’s name tells us he’s from Scotland and just a trip over tells us that it’s a bit more diverse than we believe so why couldn’t we have Michaela Conlin or Raza Jaffrey in the title role? Okay, I threw that last one in there, even though he can’t play the age group they were obviously looking for. Taking a look at the rest of the cast, Justin Hires plays Wilt Bozer, a detective, and the question remains: is he recurring or a regular? We won’t know until more episodes have been filmed.

Pure Genius stars Keon Alexander as Bashir, that’s all well and good but why do people always assume Silicon Valley startup geniuses have a penis? This is where there could be some diversity in a lead character. It would have been awesome to take it back to the writer and say, “What if this character was a female? What if she was blonde haired and blue-eyed? Or looked like a cheerleader?” Or, “Hey, why don’t we go for someone like Leslie Jones? Blow up this stereotype?” That’s where the network and the showrunner can assert control over the show, or not. It’s just a thought and one I’m not alone in sharing.

Man With a Plan stars everybody’s favorite “Friend” Matt LeBlanc. I love the premise of the show! It’s “Mr. Mom” on TV without saying it’s “Mr. Mom.” Maybe this is where Mike Epps should have been instead of that other show that shall remain nameless? Leblanc has an exec producer cred so this show was probably packaged for him. (If you want to know what packaging is, see Making TV 101.) I think this is a missed opportunity for CBS to pull in other lesser known B or C list actors. I think Santiago Cirilo could have been a good fit as well and added diversity.

My one hope is The Great Indoors starring Stephen Fry and Joel McHale. This show has a bit more of a diverse cast with the inclusion of Chris Williams, Shaun Brown and Christine Ko for an unknown number of episodes. However, only three of the eleven cast members are minorities. (Two of the eleven don’t even have headshots posted!) I hesitate to say it serves the LGBT community because while Stephen Fry himself is gay and has been open about it for many years it doesn’t mean his character is. However, after watching the trailer, I did note that Shaun Brown’s character is gay and the show looks hysterical.

Some of the comments on the original TVLine.com article are quite interesting and run that gamut from “whiners” to “best for the job” and one poster even says “This is the type of crap that pisses me off! You hire the best person for the job. I’m so over the fact that they are white and not of another race or gender. Enough of the PC and diversity. Unbelievable!”

Well… when you have kids that watch shows and think ‘I want to be like that when I grow up,’ whether it’s a doctor or a lawyer or a firefighter, or a spy/government agent and that kid is a Hispanic girl, or a poor white girl, or a black boy are you going to say “You can’t do that ‘cause you’re all wrong?” No. You’d tell that kid ‘You can do anything you set your mind to.’ Let’s show our kids through TV that they can have these jobs, even if they are works of fiction. Our works of fiction inspire the next generation. So, sit down, shut up and fix what’s broken. Let’s put more women and minorities on TV in lead roles.

Writer, showrunners, TV execs… it’s up to you.