Insecure & 9 Other Series That Do Representation Right
The word “representation” has far surpassed its time as a hot buzz word in the television industry. Representation is the new normal. So, while many shows still make duff attempts at representation with misconstrued writing just to get their minority checkboxes ticked, there are plenty of others like Issa Rae's Insecure which have gotten representation absolutely right.
With the average person spending at least 7.5 hours a day consuming media, equal representation is undoubtedly crucial in creating a world that isn’t riddled with racial, sexual, and gender favouring systemic biases. Shows that do representation breathe fresh life into media spaces, with stories featuring champions and everyday heroes for everyone. Sometimes blatant and other times subtle, shows with good representation brim with soul, perspective, and empowering values.
And for the sake of this article, we’ll be talking about shows that offer equal representation, as well as shows that are about under-represented groups of people.
10 One Day At A Time
One Day at a Time is a remake of a 1975 sitcom with the same name, featuring the lives of a Cuban-American family in the erratic climate of modern-day America. The humorous sitcom features a separated ex-military mom and her two children, a building manager, and her mom, played by EGOT actress Rita Moreno.
The show is loaded with heavy-hitting themes and maintains an engrossing storyline while aptly tackling societal issues with a pace similar to how Buffy the Vampire Slayer defeats the “monster-of-the-week”.
No holds are barred, with Cuban culture and family values not masking the very widespread realities of life. Expect heart-stopping episodes about gun control, alcoholism, homosexuality, and casual drug use. And through it all, One Day at a Time is somehow still light-hearted.
9 Pose
FX’s Pose is a monumental, boundary-breaking take on the drama genre. The show is a period-piece with 1980s ball-culture as its towering centrepiece.
Like Ryan Murphy’s other works, Pose is boisterously loud and feel-good with a whole lot of soul. And unlike many other drama shows that feature communities riddled with struggles, the show’s character arcs are far from Murphy’s Law situations. It casts a positive light on the hidden hard-earned milestones of LGBTQ+ community while featuring television’s largest transgender cast to date.
In a time where LGBTQ+ lifestyles continue to divide, Pose is a clarion call for the recognition of the heroes who came before us, and a reason to keep fighting.
8 Kim's Convenience
Every parent has their go-to nags. With many Asian parents, Asian children might agree that one of those begins with, “when I was your age…”. Kim’s Convenience is a sitcom about understanding why parents use that phrase, and how families can live harmoniously despite having different interpretations of what it means to have a hard knock life.
It achieves that from the homely comforts of a Canadian corner store run by a lovable Korean immigrant family. Kim’s Convenience revels in Asian values like filial piety, demonstrating how it doesn’t hinder modernity. The Kims give us an internalised glimpse at their lives, doing representation justice by making Korean and Asian values less alien.
Kim’s Convenience also goes above and beyond in demonstrating how the Kims themselves cannot escape holding their own prejudices. And just like us, they continue to learn.
7 Steven Universe
Privilege and prejudice aren’t built overnight. Oftentimes, they’re formed as a result of ideology and values that have been embedded in our heads since we were young. And so, Steven Universe tackles ignorance at its root, providing realistic representation in an intergalactic series meant for children and tweens.
Steven Universe pioneered as the first show on Cartoon Network that was written by a woman. The show features a group called The Crystal Gems, who is joined by protagonist Steven. Steven Universe has been lauded for offering representation of LGBTQ+ and gender issues, as well as body positivity and mental health - all things that children deserve to have inculcated in them from young.
6 Will & Grace
Will & Grace was way ahead of its time, which is more recent than you might think. Premiering in 1998, the sitcom features a gay lawyer and his straight female housemate, both of whom are otherwise seemingly perfect for each other. The two are also accompanied by a loud and proud gay man, as well as a rich socialite played by the iconic Megan Mullally.
The show aired its final episode in April 2020, after years of showcasing LGBTQ+ cultures and subcultures in conventional spaces. Will & Grace subtly educated viewers on the nuances and normalcy of LGBTQ+ lifestyles, but never shied from starting blatant discussions.
5 Never Have I Ever
Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever premiered on Netflix just this April. The comedy teen drama is centred around a 15-year old Indian-American girl who is learning to cope with the recent passing of her father while getting through high school.
With a juicy plot to accompany, Never Have I Ever gives viewers a glimpse of a conventional Indian household. Doing so, it features the stereotypes that Indians are subject to, while also detailing the struggles of other ethnicities and communities through means of the protagonist’s friends.
Above all, Never Have I Ever is the story of an Indian high schooler forced to deal with a very tragic life event, and in typical, first-time, teenage fashion, being made to understand that the world doesn’t revolve around her. Also, did we mention that John McEnroe narrates her angst-ridden teen life?
4 Superstore
This NBC workplace sitcom is five seasons strong and has made steady progress with every season. Superstore is a behind-the-scenes look at a big-box megastore. With the main cast featuring America Ferrera and an equally quirky, diverse supporting cast, the show is breezy with a premise that’s practically a playground for writers.
Superstore has about 15 recurring characters, featuring people that are diverse in the most natural, everyday ways. The comedic floor crew is made of LGBTQ+ characters, characters of colour, characters with different body types, old and young characters, and disabled characters. Heartful plotlines are undertaken with a fact-of-matter approach, and you might even forget how diverse this show is.
3 Sex Education
Netflix’s Sex Education is a gem that television is lucky to have. The comedy-drama follows an insecure teenage boy whose mother (Gillian Anderson) is a sex therapist, along with a stellar supporting cast of schoolmates. Harnessing the best of high school, the show weaves sex education with raucous plotlines and layered humour.
Sex Education takes leaps toward representing various characters and the nuances of sexuality on television. It takes prejudice head-on, amplifying conversations about sexuality that are otherwise whispered. Some of the heavy-hitting themes in the show include fetishes, coming out, gay sex, trauma, and harassment.
2 CW’s DCTV
It’s hard to think of a bunch of superhero shows as models for representation given all the action and drama that consumes the viewer. That said, the generation of shows beginning with Arrow, and including The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning (and the list grows) have all seized the opportunity to dedicate some measure of storytelling to representation.
From the seemingly minor gesture of including persons of colour in each of their show’s primary cast, to placing emphasis on female characters in leadership positions, and going the extra mile to include LGBTQ+ characters where possible, CW’s stable of superhero shows have been a pleasant surprise.
standout moments have included Oliver’s son William coming out to his father, The Flash’s POC-dominant cast, Supergirl’s trans representation, Legends’ realistic representation of varied sexuality, and Black Lightning’s vocal discussion on Black lives.
1 Insecure
Based on Issa Rae’s “Awkward Black Girl” web-series, Insecure has had a voice that cut through prejudice right from the time it debuted in 2018. In today’s social climate where the Black Lives Matter movement is at well-deserved height, Insecure is medicine for the soul.
Insecure is a series that embodies the spirit of black people through and through, from its aesthetic choices down to its mature storytelling. And while prefacing the world through the glimmering eyes of black culture, it proves both the stark differences and the forgotten commonalities that black people face in comparison to other humans.