Constituting about 43.1% of the U.S. population in 2022, people of color will become the majority within a couple of decades. However, despite some minor gains in 2021-22, people of color and women remained underrepresented in most television employment arenas. For both women and people of color, the “bright spot” exceptions were among cable scripted leads and credited cable writers.

According to the tenth annual Hollywood Diversity Report 2023, the television industry is progressing in diversity and representation, but much more work needs to be done. Part 2 of the Hollywood Diversity Report 2023 examines 521 live action, scripted television shows airing or streaming during the 2021-22 season. Part 2, which focused on 2022 Hollywood theatrical and streaming films, was released in March 2023.

Part 2 of the report shows that individuals from underrepresented communities are experiencing employment growth compared to their White colleagues. However, individuals from diverse backgrounds remain underrepresented across all aspects of industry employment during the 2021-22 television season.

Representation in core employment categories:

• Broadcast scripted leads: less than 2 to 1 representation (33%).
• Digital scripted leads: nearly proportionate representation (36%).
• Broadcast scripted show creators: 2 to 1 representation (23%).
• Cable scripted show creators: less than 2 to 1 representation (30%).
• Digital scripted show creators: less than 2 to 1 representation (26%).
• Broadcast episodes directed: less than 2 to 1 representation (31%).
• Cable episodes directed: nearly proportionate representation (40%).
• Digital episodes directed: less than 2 to 1 representation (32%).
• Credited broadcast writers: nearly proportionate representation (36%).
• Credited digital writers: nearly proportionate representation (38%).

Significantly, people of color more than quintupled their share of broadcast scripted show creators between the 2011-12 and 2021-22 television seasons — from 4% to 23%. However, they must double their 2021-22 share to reach proportionate representation in this employment arena (43%).

In addition, Black individuals constitute the only group to exceed proportionate representation among leads in the 2021-22 season across all platforms.

Female inclusion

The report also measures gender representation. While female employment increased across seven of the 12 key Hollywood categories, women remain underrepresented in most areas.

• Broadcast scripted show creators: nearly proportionate representation (42%)
• Cable scripted show creators: less than 2 to 1 representation (34%)
• Digital scripted show creators: less than 2 to 1 representation (37%)
• Broadcast episodes directed: less than 2 to 1 representation (37%)
• Cable episodes directed: less than 2 to 1 representation (38%)
• Digital episodes directed: less than 2 to 1 representation (37%)
• Credited broadcast writers: nearly proportionate representation (46%)
• Credited digital writers: Nearly proportionate representation (47%)

Representation of those with disabilities

Further, new to this year’s report is monitoring the number of individuals with disabilities employed in the television industry. In the 2021-22 television season, there were very few actors with visible disabilities on scripted shows. Among actors with known disabilities, the majority reported mental health issues, learning, or neurological disabilities (77%).

In broadcast scripted shows, only two actors had a physical disability that was visible or a hearing disability (0.3%). In cable scripted shows, only four actors had a physical or medical disability that was visible or a hearing disability (0.6%). In digital scripted shows, eleven actors had a physical or medical disability that was visible or a hearing or visual impairment disability (0.5%). Overall, individuals with disabilities are substantially underrepresented across all platforms ― broadcast, cable, and digital.

Budgetary equality

There are also significant disparities in the budgets allocated to shows created by women and people of color compared to shows created by White men. In both cable and digital, White female creators and creators of color are more likely to have smaller budgets, under $3 million per episode, than White male creators.

Part 2 of the Hollywood Diversity Report 2023 highlights the ongoing struggle for inclusivity in television. Despite some progress, individuals from underrepresented communities continue to face a lack of representation in employment and budget allocations. The report finds that, amid a changing industry marked by increasingly niche programming across platforms, evidence from the 2021-22 television season continues to show that increasingly diverse audiences gravitate to content featuring diversity in some form. Therefore, the report underscores the need for increased industry efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable television employee marketplace, and to better appeal to audiences now and moving forward.