Lifetime Network Movies Need to Get More Diverse!

[Stacy-Deanne]

Hi All,

I watch LMN movies sometimes. I like the thrillers even though some of them have the same plots. But they are entertaining. My problem with them is the lack of diversity. I mean out of 100% of the films they show, I have seen probably 10% or less films that focus on minorities. I've seen maybe three interracial films. One was a film with Kirstie Alley and Delroy Lindo from 2003. The other was a film about a black guy and a white woman in the 50's (I believe) that centered on them having a biracial son and the man not being able to have custody of the son when the couple broke up. Then there was One Night Only (or something like that), with Raven Simone when she wanted an integrated prom. Aisha Tyler had a romantic past with the white school teacher.

But I'm not talking just about IR movies. I am talking about diversity all around. Where are the movies focusing on gay people? I think I've seen one, maybe two ever on LMN. What about black movies? Yeah they've had some but once in a blue moon. The latest has been the movie with Jill Scott (which they show constantly) and the film when the white lady was the juror of a young black man's case in New Orleans ( I believe) and she decided to be his lawyer and get him off.

The diversity STINKS on LMN. I've written emails to them in the past and I am sure no one of any importance ever got them but I tried. I asked them why they don't show more diversified films? There are many types of people who watch this channel so we should be able to see some films that cater to some of us. What about the Asian films? I was shocked to see the regular Lifetime had "Marry Me" with Lucy Liu. I almost fell out in disbelief.

True, a lot of programming could stand to have more diversity but LMN seems to be the worst and I expect more from them being the woman's network. It's like they refuse to show films that are different. The only time they show black films is during Black History Month. They show "Funny Valentines" with Alfred Woodard and Loretta Devine ALL THE TIME. At one while I swore that was the only black film they knew of. LOL! The same three black movies whenever they do decide to show something? And what about Hispanic films? I've missed it if they've ever shown a Hispanic film on LMN.

I could be wrong but don't tell me there isn't a BIG lack of diverse films. It's 2011 and if LMN wants to cater to women, they need to show movies that cater to ALL women sometimes. I'd love to see a regular movie with a minority woman starring in it. I'm not talking about a movie about her race or culture. I mean one of these thrillers they show sometimes, I'd love to see a minority woman in these kinds of roles on LMN.

That's why I write what I write because you don't see a lot of minority women characters in different types of situations. Man.

I'm not mad but it is frustrating. I know that's just how things are but will it ever change? I'd expect another channel to be like this but when LMN claims to be for women, I'd like to see different women on there sometimes and not a blond on every movie.

Also, I realize LMN shows movies that aren't just made for LMN. They show movies from the theaters, movies from other cable channels, etc. But still they can program more diversity. I'm not saying they gotta even go out and make LMN movies with minorities, just go out and get some and show them on the channel sometimes. Goodness.

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

Nope you aren't wrong at all. I enjoy watching their thrillers as a guilty pleasure myself but have noticed their lack of diversity. They're supposed to have a tv movie adaptation of The Vow starring Gabrielle Union (also producing with Nzingha Stewart) which is based on the book of the same name but I haven't seen hide nor hair of any promotions or talk of it aside from a random press release a few months ago. They did have a rather good Hispanic/Latin movie on LMN that was showcased a few months ago called Lies in Plain Sight. I really wish Rosie Perez got a Golden Globe nom and/or an Emmy because she was amazing in that role. It was sad but good.

LMN likes to flash up their heritage month celebrations so they only show blocks of things during that time or sometimes on random weekends (like when they had Sister Act 2, How Stella Got her Groove Back, Sins of the Mother and I think Waiting to Exhale back to back).

One troubling thing I find lately is how Lifetime is sympathizing with criminals via their movies. The latest offense is the Amanda girl who conspired with her boyfriend to kill her roommate in Italy. Instead of focusing on the girl who died, they're trying to show the killer as an "All American Girl". This isn't the first time they did it either. I just saw the Craigslist Killer movie and they tried to make him seem sympathetic until the end, not even focusing on the girl he shot in the hotel room. They even used the term "All American Girl" as the title of the Mary K Letourno(?) story and tried to make the 13 year old seem like the beastly minority who seduced her while she was the innocent victim! Oy.

So I think Lifetime definitely has some sort of agenda that I've been noticing lately and people are getting angry over the misplaced sympathy.

Anywho, I went off a bit on the diversity but I do agree they need more. I taped the Taraji movie, Tiffani Rubin story, and am even hearing it didn't quite go down as LMN is saying but at least we see some different backgrounds being showcased! I'll probably watch it tonight.

[Stacy-Deanne]

Rae,

I loved what you said! I have noticed that too, that Lifetime is showing movies where the criminal is looking like the victim. I don't like that. I didn't watch Craiglist killer because I got sick of that on the news, but I wondered if they glorified him in the movie or tried to paint him like a victim.

I haven't heard of the Gabrielle Union movie! Yes, I did just see the advertisement for Taraji's movie. It looks good. But I hope one day that they stop ignoring minorities. They need to realize more than one type of people watch their movies. I hope they aren't discrediting minority viewers by trying to act like no one wants to see minority films. I think a lot of people would, white people included because it would be so different.

Thanks for posting! This has been a long complaint from folks about Lifetime and I wish things would change or that they pay attention to the needs of viewers they are neglecting.

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing! It's disturbing. And you are correct, they tried to paint him as a victim of circumstance, ugh.

Let me see if I can hunt down that article on the Gabrielle Union movie. Here we go:

http://www.shadowandact.com/?p=8821

It's a tad old as it's when Stewart was working on For Colored Girls (before Perry kicked her off) but notice how far it's been in the works!

I agree. I hope we do some more diversity soon though. It's definitely needed (ad long past due, especially with how the whole world lives and not just 'mainstream America'.

(Oh! Here's the book The Vow is adapted from: The Vow: A Novel)

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

This is precisely why I don't waste my time watching the chick in jeopardy because she slept with her next door neighbor who's a serial killer with a wife who stole someone's kid who's becoming a mean girl and sleeping with her best friend's boyfriend channel. I choose to boycott them simply by not watching. If more of us viewers did that, actually threatened to take it public, Lifetime would definitely take notice. Hit 'em in the old pocketbook.

[Bekah, Mod]

lol, Vixenne! too funny!