10 Women of Colour Making a Big Impact on TV

The year of 2020 will forever be an armpit of a year for many of us, but for television these past 12 months have been pretty significant. More people caught up with their favourite (and new favourite) shows than ever before, giving us comfort in this time of uncertainty.

However even though TV has come so far in terms of telling representative and inclusive stories, there is still much work to be done. And so often, that work starts behind-the-scenes. Thanks to powerhouses like Ava DuVernay, Mindy Kaling, Shonda Rhimes, Lena Waithe, Issa Rae and Regina King, we’re having conversations about true representation like never before. So let’s continue that conversation by highlighting 10 other women of colour who are also making a huge impact on TV, giving us hope for a more diverse future.

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Debbie Allen

You know the legendary actress from Grey’s Anatomy and of course from Fame. But what you might not know is that Allen is actually an acclaimed director, and has lent her creative eye to many shows that you know and love. From classics like Family Ties and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to The Sinbad Show, That’s So Raven, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris, Allen is known for being a positive force on the set and for pulling out all of the best emotional moments. It’s no wonder Shonda also has her direct so many episodes of Grey’s.

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Michaela Coel

Onscreen Michaela Coel quickly caught critics’ attention with shows like Chewing Gum (which she also created) and Black Earth Rising. But maybe the bigger story here is her newest show, I May Destroy You. When Coel was selling the project she turned down a million dollar payday from Netflix in favour of a contract with the BBC because she wanted to remain in control of her creative rights. After she revealed that story earlier this year, the 33-year-old became something of a hero to many creatives out there.

Michelle Latimer at the Canadian Screen Awards

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Michelle Latimer

An indigenous Canadian actress, writer, director and filmmaker, Michelle Latimer first gained a large fandom through her series Paradise Falls. She’s spent a lot of time on stage—often playing roles that challenge traditional depictions of sexuality—and she’s dedicated plenty of her time to important documentary filmmaking (Inconvenient Indian, for example). Most recently Latimer has been working on the critically acclaimed CBC series Trickster, a show revolving around an Indigenous teen in British Columbia.

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Tanya Saracho

This Mexican-American playwright beautifully helmed three seasons of her short-lived series Vida, an important story that explored the Latinx experience, sexuality, and gentrification. The scribe has spoken in the past about her own experiences in the writers room as the “diversity writer” and facing imposter syndrome prior to that series, but she’s brought an important voice to many other shows including Devious Maids, Looking, and Girls. Although Vida just ended its run earlier this year, we can’t wait to see what projects Saracho will tackle next.

Yvette Lee Bowser attends the premiere of 'Dear White People'

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Yvette Lee Bowser

After cutting her teeth writing TV shows like The Cosby Show and A Different World, Yvette Lee Bowser became the first Black woman to develop her own primetime series, Living Single. These days she’s been busy crafting thoughtful (and funny) storylines as the showrunner of Dear White People. Fans can next see her work in the upcoming 2021 Starz TV show Run the World.

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Mara Brock Akil

In terms of prolific showrunners, there is no producer who has created more meaningful projects for the Black community—and specifically the Black female community—than Mara Brock Akil. In addition to creating Girlfriends and its spinoff The Game, the writer also created Being Mary Jane and Love Is. She also produces Black Lightning with her husband Salim Akil, and together they’re considered some of Hollywood’s most influential behind-the-scenes players.

Gloria Calderon Kellett poses on the red carpet

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Gloria Calderon Kellett

If you’ve subscribed to the utter fandom that is the updated One Day At a Time series, you’ve got Gloria Calderon Kellett to thank. The actress and writer is also a co-showrunner on the series, and through that role she has helped to bring important Latinx stories to audiences around the world. In the past she has worked on shows like Jane the Virgin and Devious Maids, but these days she’s also getting into directing. So far she’s stepped behind-the-camera on shows including Mr. Iglesias and United We Fall, on which she’s also a consulting producer.

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Courtney Kemp

After writing for shows like The Good Wife and Beauty & the Beast, Courtney Kemp went on to create the wildly successful Starz series Power. Not only did that series attain Game of Thrones like status during its six-season run, but it became a flagship show for the network. So much so that when Power ended, Starz quickly ordered up four more spinoffs, including one starring legendary performer Mary J. Blige.

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Nahnatchka Khan

Fans first fell in love with Nahnatchka Khan’s writing when she crafted Don’t Trust the B, a show that reached cult status after its cancellation. But more importantly Khan is responsible for overseeing Fresh Off the Boat during its first few seasons, shaping it into the critical success that it became. FOTB was applauded for showing Asian-Americas in a new light, and Khan went on to work with star Randall Park again in her equally important (but hilarious) movie Always Be My Maybe, co-starring Ali Wong and Daniel Dae Kim.

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Melinda Hsu Taylor

It’s a sad Hollywood fact that there is rarely more than one Asian writer in any given writers’ room, and Melinda Hsu Taylor has often found herself filling that role. The scribe has worked on notable series like Lost and The Vampire Diaries, and she’s also the current showrunner on the updated take of Nancy Drew. Even more importantly behind-the-scenes, the writer has been involved with the creation of the Asian Women Writers Brunch. The event is inspired by Lena Waithe’s Black Women Who Brunch, and is designed to help fellow female Asian writers connect in person. Finally.