GLAAD Names FOX Most LGBT-Inclusive Broadcast Network, HBO Tops List Of Cable Networks

Alex AlvarezSep 28th, 2011, 9:20 am
 

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has released its 16th annual “Where We Are on TV” report, charting the number of LGBT characters in scripted, primetime programming across broadcast and cable networks. This year’s report found that that the overall number of scripted LGBT characters in primetime TV programming has dropped from last year (down from 3.9 to 2.9 percent for scripted series regulars), while the number of regular LGBT characters on mainstream cable network has dropped from 35 to 29, with 25 additional recurring characters across other cable networks.

The award for most inclusive broadcast network goes to Fox, where 6.8 percent of series regulars are gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgender. That’s a huge leap for a network which had a total of zero LGBT series regulars in 2007.

So, without further ado, here’s how the big five broadcast networks fare for the coming TV season:

  • Fox: 8 LGBT series regulars out of 117 total.
  • ABC: Dropped from having 7.2 percent LGBT characters in 2010 to 3.4 percent in the upcoming season.
  • CW: 1.5 percent – That’s one LGBT character out of 67 series regulars in scripted primetime shows.
  • NBC: 3 LGBT series regulars out of 154 total.
  • CBS: 1 LGBT series regular out of 134 total, although there will be several LGBT recurring characters on the network.

    • And for cable, HBO has the most LGBT characters for the second year in a row. HBO’s True Blood boasting a total of 6 LGBT characters, tying it with Showtimes’ Shameless for the honor of most inclusive show.

    …But GLAAD’s report doesn’t solely measure the number of LGBT characters. It also reviews demographics according gender, race/ethnicity, and people with disabilities on primetime broadcast television. Here’s what their report found:

  • Male characters (still) outweigh female characters, 56.7 percent to 43.3 percent.
  • 78.2 percent of all series regulars are white.
  • The number of black characters has decreased by just over two percent (12.1 to 9.9 percent), while there is a slight uptick of Latino characters (4.9 to 5.6 percent). Characters of Asian/Pacific Island descent check in at 4.5 percent.
  • A total of 0.8 percent of characters will be people with disabilities.
  • Of the 19 LGB regular characters announced for the 2011-2012 broadcast season, 0 will be black, transgendered or have disabilities, and 5 will belong to a minority race/ethnic group.

    • And there you have it. What would also be interesting is a comprehensive review of how these characters are portrayed on TV (Are they one-dimensional? How do they reflect or reject common stereotypes? Do they have interesting storylines of their own, or do they mainly serve to prop up other characters?), as well as how that has or has not changed in any way over the years.

    What do you make the report’s findings? Is it about what you expected? Any surprises?

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