A diversity initiative at CBS has already resulted in two history-making seasons of unscripted TV.
But it hasnt been easy.
WhenLiana Wallacewas little, watchingSurvivorwas a reward for behaving during bath time.
Linia Wallace, Xander Hastings, Deshawn Radden, and Danny McCray at Tribal Council on the 11th episode of ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets/CBS
I had one number that I could put on it, and it was my brother.
“It was shocking.”
It’s also the standard moving forward on CBS.
CBS president and CEO George Cheeks.CBS
“I’ve attended schools where I’d look around the room and be the only Black person.
It just gave me a sense of ease.”
“Everything about day one ofSurvivor41 signaled a rebirth forSurvivor,” says Probst.
‘Big Brother’ finalists Kyland Young, Hannah Chaddha, Derek Frazier, Xavier Prather, Azah Awasum, and Tiffany Mitchel.Francis Specker/CBS
“I was beaming.
The players felt it too.
They knew they were a part of something very special.”
(Moonves, who denied any wrongdoing, resigned in 2018.)
It offered up a real opportunity for meaningful change."
Even before Cheeks announced the initiatives, seeds of change were taking root.
“I actually thoughtSurvivorhonestly portrayed players,” shetold EW in October 2020.
“I was wrong.”
If you don’t see someone who looks like you, then you’re less likely to apply.
If we get together on a reality show, let us have that.
Let ushave that."
“That hit me harder than I expected.
With any change comes blowback, but the personalizing of it was a little challenging for me.
But it comes with the territory.”
And the producers don’t expect new Cookouts to form season after season.
“Every cast is unique, and every game plays out differently,” saysBBexecutive producer Rich Meehan.
“It’s very hard to pull off the exact same winning strategy as a prior season.
That unpredictability is what we love.”
Now that the casting mandates are set in stone,Cheeks' sights are on CBS' scripted fare.
(On average, scripted series have anywhere from eight to 12 writers on staff.)
“This is just the beginning,” says Cheeks.
“There’s a lot of work to do to really bring sustainable change.”
It’s a step in the right direction."
A version of this story appears in the March issue ofEntertainment Weekly, on newsstands Feb. 18.
