In the most recent 2004-2005 season, Caucasian males directed more than 80 percent of all episodes of top 40 prime time network television dramas and comedies. Furthermore, 14 of the top 40 shows did not hire any women directors, nine did not hire any minority directors, and five excluded both women and minority directors.
"For the fifth year in a row, the report reveals that producers and networks have made little to no change in their hiring of women and minority directors," said Michael Apted, DGA President and Chair of DGA Diversity Task Force. "The Guild challenges the industry to address this issue now, while production is just beginning for the 06-07 season, by hiring talented women and minority directors for their upcoming episodes."
The DGA has been tracking entertainment industry hiring practices for many years, and five years ago started singling out the top 40 prime time drama and comedy television series. This year’s top forty report shows that of the 800 total episodes worked in 2004-2005, Caucasian males directed 661 (83%); Caucasian women directed 80 (10%); Minority males directed 45 (5%); and Minority females directed only 14 (2%).
Statistics for minority directors have remained bleak, and virtually unchanged, over the past five years.
Following are some of the most egregious examples of the exclusion of women and minority directors in top forty prime time series for the 2004-2005 season:
- 5 SHOWS HIRED NO WOMEN AND NO MINORITY DIRECTORS:
- CSI
- Yes, Dear
- NCIS
- Center of the Universe
- Everybody Loves Raymond
- 9 MORE (14 total) HIRED NO WOMEN DIRECTORS:
- 24
- Still Standing
- Law & Order
- House
- Medium
- JAG
- According to Jim
- Cold Case
- King of Queens
- 4 MORE (9 total) HIRED NO MINORITY DIRECTORS:
- Judging Amy
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury
- Desperate Housewives
- West Wing
(Shows that hired only one director for the entire series were included in the overall data, but are not singled out here.)
The following shows have demonstrated a pattern of zero or minimal efforts in hiring women and/or minority directors:
- Everybody Loves Raymond (Talk Productions) did not hire a woman director for any of its 112 episodes over the past five seasons. The show hired no minority directors this season; and hired minorities to direct only 3 out of 112 episodes in the past five seasons.
- JAG (Paramount) did not hire a woman director for any of its 122 episodes in the past five seasons. The show hired minority directors for only 5 out of 122 episodes in the past five seasons.
- CSI (CBS) hired no women directors in the last 2 seasons, and only one woman to direct one of 116 episodes in the past five seasons. The show hired minorities to direct only 3 of 116 episodes in the past five seasons.
- Although Judging Amy (20th Century Fox Film) has been proactive in hiring women directors (31 of 121 episodes), the show has not hired a single minority director in the past five seasons.
- According to Jim (Touchstone TV Prod.) has hired no women directors and only 3 minority directors in 105 episodes over the past four seasons.
- Yes, Dear (20th Century Fox Film) has not hired a woman to direct any of its 84 episodes over the past four seasons, and has hired minorities to direct only 3 out of 84 episodes.
- NCIS (Paramount) hired no minorities or women in its first 2 seasons (43 episodes).
While employment opportunities for women and minorities on these top forty prime time television series were dismal overall, the following shows have shown a good faith effort in their hiring of directors during the recent 2004-2005 season:
- Crossing Jordan (Universal) hired women and minorities to direct 11 out of 22 episodes (50%).
- CSI: Miami (CBS) hired women and minorities to direct 7 out of 22 episodes (32%).
And there are three series that have defied the networks’ trends for the past five seasons:
- Third Watch (Warner Bros.) hired women and minorities to direct 45 out of 119 total episodes (38%) over the past five seasons.
- ER (Warner Bros.) hired women and minorities to direct 27 out of 101 total episodes (27%) over the past five seasons.
The DGA continues to place diversity as one of its top priorities. To counter the argument that quality women and minority directors are difficult to find, the DGA and its African American, Asian, Latino and Women’s Committees have held meetings with producers, networks and studio representatives, introducing talented women and minority directors to key showrunners. The DGA Diversity Task Force, in partnership with a staff committee, constantly examines new ways of inducing real and substantive change. And every year the DGA creates extensive women and minority director contact lists and makes them available to the industry.
