TV Reboots and Revivals Bring Nostalgia — And Whitewashing

Over the last few years, television has been looking really different. From the 1980s to 2017, the number of characters of color with speaking roles has nearly quadrupled, up from about eight percent in the '80s to about 30 percent today.

Today, shows like "Blackish" and "Fresh Off the Boat" proved to TV networks that audiences — even white audiences — would watch shows centering on minority families. 

But now, we're seeing the entertainment industry pivot towards TV revivals. And when you revive old sitcoms or dramas, you’re also often reviving all white casts.

Jeff Yang, a journalist and co-host of the podcast “They Call Us Bruce,” recently wrote a piece about the new reboot phenomenon in television. Though they may make us feel nostalgic, they also come at a cost, because diversity is often nixed in favor of the all white casts of the past. 

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This segment is hosted by Tanzina Vega