There’s an immense pressure that comes along with being a television show about minorities. Not only do you have to be extra careful to avoid even the suggestion of stereotypical behavior, given the power that television has to reinforce pre-existing notions about segments of the population, you’re forced to shoulder the expectations of a diverse group who obviously haven’t had the same life experiences. You have to at least be cognizant of the multitudes of the group you’re portraying, and the core population you’re trying to appeal to, while telling a singular story that puts character above message and story above proselytizing. This might be the most interaction that some viewers outside your core demographic have with a minority, so you want your show to take the universal elements of what it means to be the “other” and use them to relate to those who don’t have an intimate understanding of what it’s like to be different from the norm; yet if you homogenize the content too much and lose the very essence your show has that differentiates it from others in the increasingly crowded television landscape, you risk alienating the very people for whom the show was created.
The latest show facing the nearly impossible task of placating both a general and specialized audience is ABC midseason comedy The Real O’Neals, which debuted to decent ratings and solid reviews earlier this month. Though not the only new show this season to feature a gay character or stories related to homosexuality, it’s the only freshman show built around a gay character, making its presence on broadcast television all the more important. Based on an idea from controversial author and media pundit Dan Savage and developed for television by former Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23 executive producers David Windsor and Casey Johnson, The Real O’Neals follows a Midwestern Irish Catholic family forced to confront the fact that the image they project to the outside world doesn’t match the reality of their lives. At the eye of this hurricane of self-image and secrecy is 16-year-old Kenny (Noah Galvin), who comes out to his family and inadvertently causes strife with his devoutly religious mother Eileen (Martha Plimpton). While it’s a story that’s not exactly revolutionary, and while it might seem antiquated given the strides the LGBT population has made in recent years, it’s a story that deserves to be told and a show whose cancellation would be more than just the unfortunate snuffing of a project with creative potential.
The Real O’Neals arrives at a time when shows where homosexuality plays a prominent role in the narrative, or shows specifically focusing on gay characters, haven’t exactly been lighting up the Nielsen ratings. Last year featured the cancellation of both Andrew Haigh’s Looking, a quiet HBO dramedy that sparked a backlash from some LGBT viewers, and The McCarthys, about an openly gay man in Boston and his family of sports fanatics, while other casualties in recent years have included Sean Saves the World, The New Normal, and Happily Divorced. That’s not to say that LGBT representation is a complete wash right now; it’s just show that are centered on gay characters and tell gay stories are fairly rare on American television and that what gay storylines are out there often get reduced to B, C, and D subplots. While those storylines might produce strong audience engagement and carry a lot of weight with viewers happy to see themselves and others like them on television, they’re still occurring during someone else’s story. For example, Freeform demon hunter drama Shadowhunters, oddball CW dramedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and VH1 basketball soap Hit The Floor have all done great, boundary-pushing work with LGBT storylines that have garnered them online buzz and (deservedly) good will with viewers. However, none of those relationships feature their respective main characters, meaning that as much good as each show does within the confines of its structure, they can’t replicate what a Real O’Neals could do if successful.
For more representation like that we’re seeing on smaller shows to occur, and for stories like those on Shadowhunters, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Hit The Floor to become the A-stories on more shows, projects like The Real O’Neals have to find some sort of ratings and critical traction. If a show like this doesn’t make it to a second season, who’s to say that we’re going to have another one like it coming down the pipeline in the next season or two? What type of message does it send to executives if nobody turns up and tunes in to shows that feature gay leads? Why would they want to keep trying to make one stick? Even if every television network were headed by someone actively trying to spearhead a diverse programming slate, people still have to watch the shows and prove that there’s an audience for this type of production. For instance, the runaway success of Scandal undoubtedly helped shows like Being Mary Jane, How to Get Away with Murder, and The Haves and Have Nots get on the air, as it demonstrated the appetite there was for shows featuring a black female lead. Granted, The Real O’Neals doesn’t have to assume a similar ratings trajectory to
Scandal in order to justify its existence, but it will need to show some ratings strength in order to hang onto its spot on the ABC schedule next year. And if it does manage to solidify itself on an already crowded comedy lineup, who’s to say that ABC (or any other network looking to expand its reach) doesn’t take a chance next development cycle and find another comedy with a gay lead?
Even with said crowded comedy slate, it helps The Real O’Neals to be on ABC, given that the network hasn’t been shy about tooting its own horn with regards to its diverse schedule. ABC was the first broadcast network to really put its money where its mouth was and build a schedule that featured minority leads in both comedy and drama. Specifically, its comedy brand features two shows in black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat who don’t back away from showcasing the experiences that come with being a minority, meaning that The Real O’Neals is something of a mirror for both acclaimed comedies. Where black-ish has commented on everything from police brutality to spanking and Fresh Off the Boat leans into the differences between its matriarch and the world around her, The Real O’Neals has already touched on coming out, teenage sexuality, and religion, with the next episode to delve into the language of being openly gay. The only difference between these shows is the minority group they’re portraying, so ABC not showing at least some patience with The Real O’Neals wouldn’t send the best message. It would put a limit on what the word diversity means in television and devalue the LGBT issues portrayed in the show; it would say that true diversity (at least in terms of ABC’s agenda) does not include sexual orientation and that what The Real O’Neals explores isn’t as important as what we see on black-ish or Fresh Off the Boat. No matter how much progress the LGBT population has made in recent years, be it gay marriage or the rise in Christian acceptance of homosexuality, gays are still a social and numerical minority who need to have their voice amplified in order to have themselves a better chance at true acceptance. If people don’t have any ways to identify with a minority, they’re always going to see said minority as the “other,” whereas shows like The Real O’Neals could help show that LGBT Americans are just like everyone else, as are families that feature one or more gay members.
That social importance cannot be overstated. Of course, one cannot pay the bills with social importance, but it certainly should be a check in the show’s favor that it’s bringing something different to the table than any other show on broadcast. By following the coming out of a teenager, something that we don’t see much on television, let alone broadcast television, The Real O’Neals has the chance to do a lot of good by utilizing its expansive platform to its advantage. Not only could it offer hope/comfort to young people who don’t know how to come out, cannot come out, or don’t even know they’re gay yet, its emphasis on the importance of living one’s own truth and the value of knowing, trusting, and living for yourself are lessons and themes that don’t solely apply to the LGBT community. It’s broader strokes like this, similar to what you find in other solid family comedies, that form the pillars of this show and allow it to delve into the specificity that goes along with coming out, material that shows those struggling with themselves that they’re not alone and that their story is worth being told. They can see a family that, while still struggling with the changes in their dynamic, is supportive of someone they love and know that it’s possible to be different and retain the love and support that a family provides. There’s value in representation like that and while Kenny’s story isn’t going to be like every other member of the LGBT community, there are aspects of his journey toward self-actualization that will resonate with those who need to see people like him on television the most.
Not to mention the fact that one of the many values of television is that it can educate its viewers without talking down to them or making it seem like something educational. Seeing positive, non-stereotypical portrayals of minorities has the power to (albeit slowly) turn the tide in how a minority is viewed and can affect positive change down the line; while it’s a long, long way between The Real O’Neals and something that substantial, this type of show is, if followed by other shows of its ilk, the type that can leave the world a little better than it was when it debuted. If television diversity is to continue to evolve as it should, this is the type of show that can help, given that it dresses some interesting ideas in the clothes of a modern family comedy. It’s that subversiveness, combined with a giddily off-kilter sense of humor and instantly charming cast, that makes The Real O’Neals a show that is not only important in terms of what it can do, but what it’s doing right now. It’s not all the way there just yet, but given some time to explore these characters, settle into its fantastical yet deeply affecting world, and further entwine its boundless creative potential with its pro-inclusion ethos, it’s a show that could become something special.
The Real O’Neals airs tonight at 8:30 on ABC. You can check out a preview of tonight’s episode below.
