The Directors Guild of America’s findings on the diversity of directors in episodic television are grim. Included in their analysis were 3,100 episodes of over 190 scripted shows produced across network and cable channels throughout 2011-2012. After the DGA adjusted their parameters to allow more accurate statistics for this year’s report, they adjusted the prior year’s results.
2011-2012
Caucasian males directed 73% of all episodes
Caucasian females directed 11% of all episodes
minority males directed 13% of all episodes
minority females directed 4% of all episodes
Caucasian males directed 76% of one-hour shows, and 69% of half-hour shows.
2010-2011
Caucasian males directed 72% of all episodes (not 77% as had been reported)
Caucasian females directed 11% of all episodes (unchanged from the 11% that had been reported)
minority males directed 14% of all episodes (up from the 11% that had been reported)
minority females directed 3% of all episodes (up from the 1% that had been reported)
During their research in the past two years, the DGA’s Diversity Task Force identified a key factor in the stagnation of the statistics: companies like to hire directors who they already know. “Our industry has to do better,” says the Task Force’s Paris Barclay (EP of “Sons of Anarchy,” director of “NYPD Blue”). “It’s quite disappointing that so many shows failed to hire even a single woman or minority director during the course of an entire season – even shows whose cast and crew otherwise is notably diverse. And, ‘We just don’t know anybody,’ doesn’t cut it anymore – the pool of talented and experienced women and minority directors grows every year, and too many of these qualified, capable directors are still overlooked.”
Below are their “Best of” and “Worst of” lists. Shows that have been cancelled and pilots were not included in their analysis, but they commend the following shows for their diversity in hiring: “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” (100%); “Hung” (60%); “Hawthorne” (56%); “So Random!” (54%); “The Killing” (46%); “Eureka” (38%); “Make It or Break It” (38%); “CSI: Miami” (37%); and “In Plain Sight” (31%).
Producers are free to obtain the DGA’s contact list of experienced women and minority directors to assist in their hiring decisions. See more charts below.
DGA’s “WORST OF” Lists : Following are the shows with the worst records of hiring women and minority directors for the 2011-2012 television season:
SHOWS THAT HIRED NO WOMEN AND NO MINORITY DIRECTORS: Percentage of Episodes by Women or Minority Directors:
· Chemistry (Chemistry Series/Cinemax) – 0%
· Dallas (Horizon Scripted Television/TNT) – 0%
· The Inbetweeners (On Site Productions/MTV) – 0%
· Leverage (Leverage Productions/TNT) – 0%
· Retired at 35 (King Street Productions/TV Land) – 0%
· Supernatural (NS Pictures/CW) – 0%
· Veep (Home Box Office/HBO) – 0%
· Workaholics (50/50 Productions/Comedy Central) – 0%
SHOWS THAT HIRED WOMEN OR MINORITY DIRECTORS FOR FEWER THAN 15% OF EPISODES:
· CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS Broadcasting/CBS) – 5%
· Hart of Dixie (Bonanza Productions/CW) – 5%
· Nikita (NS Pictures/CW) – 5%
· Once Upon A Time (Digital 49 Productions/ABC) – 5%
· Boardwalk Empire (Home Box Office/HBO) – 8%
· Justified (Woodridge Productions/FX) – 8%
· Modern Family (Twentieth Century Fox Television/ABC) – 8%
· The Office (Universal Network Television/NBC) – 8%
· Supah Ninjas (Uptown Productions/Nickelodeon) – 8%
· True Blood (Home Box Office/HBO) – 8%
· Community (Remote Broadcasting/NBC) – 9%
· Two Broke Girls (Bonanza Productions/CBS) – 9%
· Fringe (Warner Bros. Television/FOX) – 10%
· Hell on Wheels (Entertainment One Television USA/AMC) – 11%
· The Newsroom (Home Box Office/HBO) – 11%
· Perception (FTP Productions/TNT) – 11%
· The Wedding Band (Terrapin Productions/TBS) – 11%
· Castle (ABC Studios/ABC) – 13%
· Cougar Town (FTP Productions/ABC) – 13%
· Gossip Girl (Warner Bros. Television/CW) – 13%
· New Girl (Twentieth Century Fox Television/FOX) – 13%
· Rizzoli & Isles (Horizon Scripted Television/TNT) – 13%
· Shake it Up (It’s a Laugh Productions/Disney Channel) – 13%
· Parks & Recreation (Open 4 Business Productions/NBC) – 14%
· Revenge (ABC Studios/ABC) – 14%
· The Vampire Diaries (Bonanza Productions/CW) – 14%
DGA’s “BEST OF” List : At the same time, the following shows are highlighted for hiring above the industry average in the 2011-2012 production cycle:
SHOWS THAT HIRED WOMEN OR MINORITY DIRECTORS FOR AT LEAST 30% OF EPISODES:
· The Game (Breakdown Productions/BET) – 100%
· Let’s Stay Together (Breakdown Productions/BET) – 100%
· Reed Between the Lines (Breakdown Productions/BET) – 100%
· Single Ladies (Bling Productions/VH1) – 100%
· Lab Rats (It’s a Laugh Productions/Disney XD) – 80%
· Scandal (FTP Productions/ABC) – 67%
· Suits (Open 4 Business Productions/USA) – 64%
· Pair of Kings (It’s a Laugh Productions/Disney XD) – 62%
· Nurse Jackie (Nurse Productions/Showtime) – 60%
· Treme (Home Box Office/HBO) – 60%
· Jessie (It’s a Laugh Productions/Disney Channel) – 58%
· Drop Dead Diva (Woodridge Productions/Lifetime) – 54%
· The Walking Dead (Stalwart Films/AMC) – 53%
· Awkward (On Site Productions/MTV) – 50%
· Grimm (Open 4 Business Productions/NBC) – 48%
· The Middle (Warner Bros. Television/ABC) – 46%
· Girls (Home Box Office/HBO) – 44%
· 90210 (CBS Broadcasting/CW) – 42%
· Covert Affairs (Open 4 Business Productions/USA) – 43%
· Dexter (Showtime Pictures Development Company/Showtime) – 42%
· Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (Twentieth Century Fox Television/ABC) – 42%
· The Big C (Remote Broadcasting/Showtime) – 40%
· Level Up (Alive and Kicking/Cartoon Network) – 40%
· Suburgatory (Bonanza Productions/ABC) – 38%
· Warehouse 13 – Universal Network Television/SyFy) – 38%
· Boss (Boss Kane Productions/Starz!) – 38%
· 30 Rock (NBC Studios/NBC) – 36%
· The Good Wife (CBS Broadcasting/CBS) – 36%
· Raising Hope (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/FOX) – 36%
· Smash (NBC Studios/NBC) – 36%
· Sons of Anarchy (Pacific 2.1 Entertainment Group/FX) – 36%
· Austin & Ally (It’s a Laugh Productions/Disney Channel) – 33%
· CSI: NY (CBS Broadcasting/CBS) – 33%
· Grey’s Anatomy (ABC Studios/ABC) – 33%
· Fairly Legal (Open 4 Business Productions/USA) – 33%
· Body of Proof (FTP Productions/ABC) – 31%
· Psych (Universal Network Television/USA) – 31%
· Alphas (Open 4 Business Productions/SyFy) – 30%
· Falling Skies (Turner North Center Productions/TNT) – 30%
· Franklin & Bash (Woodridge Productions/TNT) – 30%
· Torchwood: Miracle Day (Bad Wolf Productions/Starz!) – 30%
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