LOS ANGELES — CBS is launching a major casting initiative designed to discover new performers from across the country and increase the pool of diverse talent for its current dramas and upcoming dramatic pilots.
The announcement comes a little more than two months after the network came under fire for a fall lineup that included six new series all featuring white male leads. CBS has repeatedly been criticized for its lack of progress on the multiculturalism front — few of its programs in the last decade have featured a minority in a leading role, and it is the only broadcast network not to have a series built around a family of color.
CBS Entertainment President Glenn Geller said at that time that diversity has been and is a priority of the network. In announcing the new initiative, Geller said the objective is to address and correct those concerns by inviting performers who are not based in New York or Los Angeles to try out for CBS shows.
“We’re timing this initiative to pilot season,” he said. “The long-term goal is to broaden our already increasing pool of diverse talent.”
