Study shows that over 90% of live shows created by white people | American television

A new UCLA study shows that popular scripted series on streaming services have shown a marked decline in cultural diversity behind and in front of the camera in the past year as inclusion programming dwindles in Hollywood.

The latest edition of the school’s Hollywood Diversity Report, published Tuesday, found that of the top 250 most-watched current scripted and office series in 2024, more than 91.7% were created by a white person, and white men account for 79% of all show creators — both up from last year. Diversity among performers also declined, with white actors cast in 80% of all roles.

In contrast, almost all other races and ethnicities were underrepresented as leads on top shows or as show creators: Of the 222 scripted series surveyed, only 49 were produced by women, with creators of color accounting for just 8%. Overall, the report found a decline in opportunities for actresses and people of color in front of the camera, even though minority families and female audiences are increasing viewership of major series.

The report marks a sharp reversal of steps taken in the wake of the 2020 nationwide Black Lives Matter protests over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. That year, several streaming companies, as well as broadcast and cable networks, created programs to increase diversity or invested in efforts to develop projects by or featuring more people of color, especially black people.

These efforts have been largely abandoned in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election and his administration’s legal efforts to punish so-called diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Disney, Amazon, Paramount and Warner Bros. were among the companies that halted long-standing DEI programs last year.

“Unfortunately, this was not unexpected, especially with the election results in 2024,” Darnell Hunt, executive vice chancellor and provost of the University of California, wrote in the report.

“When you close the door to diversity, you close opportunities for greater perspectives, collaboration, exploration, and growth,” added Hunt, who co-founded the study. “Without vigilance and pressure, the industry will continue to invest less and less in these creators and stories at the expense of their bottom lines.”

However, despite the ongoing slide in diversity behind the camera, the study found that underrepresented storylines — regardless of the gender of the lead actor — increased in 2024. It cited several male-led shows, such as Apple’s Ted Lasso and HBO’s The Penguin, that have devoted rich secondary stories to female characters.

“Even as diversity overall declines, the stories still exist,” said co-author Nico Garcia, a doctoral candidate in film and media studies. “When there are good, relatable stories, people watch them regardless of who is starring.”

The study noted that such storylines, especially among women, generated greater engagement on social media, with HBO’s House of the Dragon and Netflix’s Bridgerton being notable examples.

“If a show had some type of underrepresented story, such as a women-centric story, the average total interactions for those shows were talked about five times more on social media than shows without them,” said co-author Michael Tran, a sociologist.

A contentious bidding war between Netflix, Paramount and others over the purchase of Warner Bros., which owns HBO among other valuable intellectual property rights, has cast further doubt on the future of Hollywood’s diversity efforts. Many industry groups, labor unions, and antitrust experts have argued that a merger between any two large companies, especially Netflix and Warner Bros., would hurt creative competition.

In a statement criticizing Netflix’s proposal to buy the landmark studio last week, the Eastern and Western units of the Writers Guild of America warned that “the world’s largest streaming company swallowing one of its largest competitors is what antitrust laws are designed to prevent. The result will result in job losses, lower wages, and worsening conditions for all those working in entertainment.”