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TV Guide Online
January 12, 2004
Roush Room: Ask Matt
Question:
When Line of Fire began its run, the show had the potential of being a gripping drama. Unfortunately, the scripts have taken a turn toward the pedestrian. I think the main problem with the show is its predominantly feminized base. Call me old-fashioned and sexist, but a cops-vs.-the-mob show should have a cool, masculine edge to it. Line of Fire is bogged down by subplots involving child rearing, pregnancy and husbands abandoning their wives. In other words, instead of being a cool action drama, Line of Fire is a somewhat pedestrian soap opera dressed up in a wolf's clothing. And the networks wonder why young men have abandoned network television! It seems to be an ABC problem because both Alias and Karen Sisco are too feminized to truly be considered "cool TV." Fortunately, there's still 24, where the men are men and the women are appreciative of that fact! I love the way Tony shot down his wife's attempt to oust him from command. It's heartening to watch a show where the women aren't always right! — Brian
Matt:
Man oh man — to put it mildly — this wins the prize as the week's most provocative letter. Alias and Karen Sisco not cool because they're too feminized? They're cool because of their fabulous tough-woman leads, whatever their effect on young men. (I'd think they'd be something of a turn-on.) You're on more stable ground with your criticisms of Line of Fire, which I would agree is uneven in its juggling of the domestic and criminal story lines — a little wit and humor wouldn't hurt — but the depiction of the female FBI boss is something new and intriguing, and Leslie Hope is terrific. Your chauvinistic description of 24 made me laugh, but I can only imagine how this column's readers are going to react. Bring it on.
Question:
I read with interest the letters in your last column complaining about the lack of critical/media attention given to shows (Girlfriends, Platinum) with primarily black casts. This reminded me of my own personal TV pet peeve: the way black members of primarily white ensemble casts are almost inevitably marginalized. My favorite show, Alias, has nearly ignored agent Marcus Dixon (played by the wonderful Carl Lumbly) this season — and that's coming from J.J. Abrams, who has showed with both that show and Felicity that he will at least try for diversity in casting. On other shows, the situation is even worse. Try flipping through NBC's cast photos for Las Vegas sometime; both Marsha Thomason and James Lesure are always photographed standing near the margins, as though the photographer were at pains to show that they aren't the main characters. My question: Why does this happen? It's not a shortage of talented/beautiful performers, and in the age of hip-hop, I find it difficult to believe that programmers seeking an 18-34 demographic believe that young white people only want to be entertained by other white people. But the only primarily white ensemble-cast shows I can think of who have genuinely kept a black character in a central role for a long time are Homicide, Law & Order, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Boston Public. For Pete's sake, I Spy did this better in the '60s. Isn't it time to start calling the networks and show creators on this? Or are we just supposed to shrug and allow black actors to be treated as a race of bookends? (For the record, I am a white Midwesterner, just one with a low tolerance for absurdity.) Sorry to vent. But I would find your opinion on the subject interesting. — Casey A.
Matt:
I would include ER, Third Watch, NYPD Blue, The Wire, 24 (with a black president) and CBS' procedurals (the CSI shows and Without a Trace) among the shows with pretty well integrated casts that tend not to marginalize the minority performers. But it is a fact of TV life that minority characters tend to serve (so to speak) the primary stars (almost always white) as sidekicks, if they're even that lucky. Your point about today's hip-hop culture only underscores how out of touch today's studio and casting execs are about the perceived appeal of ethnic characters, actors, attitude, and so forth. As for Alias, it could be argued that Dixon was promoted to a position of higher authority, which is good, but the downside is he no longer assists Sydney on missions, and that's a loss. Their partnership was refreshing, not just because of race but because of the generational gap between them. Dixon's position as a father figure of sorts for Syd during times of personal confusion is something that needs to be explored further. Right now, he's sort of in the same bind as James McDaniel and Esai Morales on NYPD Blue: bosses of color who, regrettably, usually have little to do once the story gets rolling.
© TV Guide Online 2004
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