You can turn on the TV or go see a movie to answer that question. Of course there are roles – it would be wonderful if there were more, but it’s a bit melodramatic to insist there are none. Just look at Lost or Heroes. Even Grey’s Anatomy, which admittedly has a fair number of white main characters, has doctors that are asian, hispanic, and black (and the show is heavy on main female characters as well). Scrubs is light on asian characters, although two of the main four characters are black and hispanic.

For characters that are the individual lead for a TV show? Sure, not many minorities. But there are a decent number in ensemble casts – on that front there seems to be some improvement. There are movies headlined by a minority actor, although it often tends to be Will Smith.

“Why is that? Why aren’t you worried about getting Chinese or black actors for the very key parts of your project?”

Because there are plenty of chinese or black actors qualified for lead roles? It seems you’ve missed the point of this post – the problem isn’t necessarily the lack of minority actors, it’s the lack of day players, minority and otherwise. The problem is just more visible with minority actors.

Do you honestly think there’s any shortage of good minority actors, black, asian, or other?

Why is that? Why aren’t you worried about getting Chinese or black actors for the very key parts of your project? Have you ever written a part like that? Or perhaps, it’s all showrunner’s fault that there’s no major MALE Asian American actor out there?

So what is the real problem out there? Why are there shows about Hospitals in which there are next to zero Asian doctors? (have you been to a major hospital lately?) Why is that the NYC on screen almost invariably inhabited by a bunch of funny or interesting white people with a few minorities sidekicks? Are people in your industry so intensely blind about the obvious racism in almost every show on the major TV networks?

I don’t know what to say when I read this – I guess I’m just glad I just canceled cable. I’m going back to watching Ueno Juri in “Last Friends” now… now there’s a supremely talented Asian actress who would starve to death if she were born Asian American. Like writer in Hollywood would give HER a major role. Ha.

I guess you need to meet more canadians then, I’ve heard it plenty in person. Sure, not ALL canadians say that, but it’s silly to insist that none do.

I worked recently for an Emmy-winning writer who announced to the writers’ room that when she was an assistant in 1993, she made exactly the same weekly salary I was making at that exact second.

1. 1. Salary for an assistant = unchanged.

I can tough it out because I’m learning a ton and I think television is a robust wonderland that one day will give me a few hours of my own to play with. But among 40 some tv-oriented screenwriting MFAs I know/trade emails with, exactly five have been able to make ends meet working as an assistant. And two of those are at an agency.

The other 35? A least a couple of them could be future Ken Levines, future Ron Moores, future J.J. Abrams. But if they don’t get their foot in their door, don’t get to see how a room works, make friends on writing staffs and generally accumulate that juju that makes executive producers give you a shot at a freelance script, they’re all going to end up tutoring @ Kaplan.

(Some cynics may feel tempted to comment something along the lines of ‘ah, fuck ‘em if they don’t have the determination to pursue their dreams! there’s lots of people who would kill for those jobs.’ Much with Mr. August’s point on actors, it’s not whether you can fill a day with auditions/interviews. It’s whether you can find people with the ability to do the job. Having seen a couple shows staff up in the last two years, I’m not convinced that’s always the case.)

And by that, I mean something other than a Chinese delivery guy or some wise old Asian man espousing “words of wisdom”.