#CBS Sets Inclusion Standards for ‘Big Brother,’ ‘Survivor’ & More Unscripted Shows

CBS is finally addressing the issue regarding its lack of diverse casting for unscripted series like Big Brother, Survivor and other fan favorites.

The network is setting a new standard that would include fifty percent representation for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Beginning with the 2021-2022 season, CBS will also lend twenty-five percent of its development funding to projects from BIPOC creators and producers.

CBS is also aiming to expand diversity within its teams behind the scenes on unscripted projects with initiatives for partners. The subject of diversity has been a consistent issue raised by viewers when it comes to the network’s fare, including the most recent season of Big Brother.

“The reality TV genre is an area that’s especially underrepresented, and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production and all phases of storytelling,” CBS’s President and CEO George Cheeks said. “As we strive to improve all of these creative aspects, the commitments announced today are important first steps in sourcing new voices to create content and further expanding the diversity in our unscripted programming, as well as on our Network.”

Little by little, network television has been making small strides to improve the diversity gap, but there’s still room for a lot of improvement to be made. It’s no secret that shows like Big Brother have been called out for their lack of racial sensitivity, with several instances of racist behavior from contestants inside the house towards BIPOC.

Last season, one particular contestant made digs towards an Asian American houseguest, and that pushed host Julie Chen Moonves to question his behavior upon his eviction. With a fifty percent representation standard, issues like this will hopefully disappear, but only time will tell. Stay tuned for upcoming seasons of CBS’ unscripted slate to see how the new standards are enacted.