Topic Of The Day: CBS Denies 'Nancy Drew' For Being "Too Female"

I don't usually cover the TV industry. But when I was scrolling through Twitter, I discovered a hashtag that started trending called #toofemale and curiously looked at why it was trending. Apparently, CBS was test screening an updated Nancy Drew series yet decided not to air it because it tested "too female." Seeing that really frustrated me and I will certainly delve into why that is.

First off, what do they even mean when they say "too female?" Does it mean "too feminist?" But no matter how they slice it, it still doesn't come off that well and is a terrible excuse as to why they are not putting it on the air.

I'm a male yet some of my favorite shows are Buffy The Vampire Slayer, True Blood, and Parks and Recreation which all have strong central female characters. Yet is my taste in television "too female" and does this mean that they should take it easy with the female-centered shows?! I say no.

We've seen quite an onslaught of successful female-driven shows that are too numerous to mention and we are now seeing more shows depicting women of color. Heck, Laverne Cox, a trans woman of color, has recently gotten her own show. Yet I fear that if a network says that a show tests "too female" or they should ease up on the female-centered shows, then the success of the shows we have had will end up being treated as an anomaly.

It reminds me a lot like the film world where Hollywood reinforces the idea that there are no A-list talents of color despite the fact that we have names like Denzel Washington and Will Smith. Yet it feels as if their success is treated as an exception and Hollywood is contradicting themselves.

It's bad enough that the film industry doesn't produce as much films depicting women, the LGBT community, and people of color out of fear that there isn't a global audience for such groups. So I don't want to see the television industry act out of fear as well.

Sorry to my readers I've been sounding like a broken record regarding the diversiy topic. This is just something I wanted to share my thoughts on get off my chest. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!