Representation on TV: November Highlights Include ‘This Fool,’ ‘Queen Sugar,’ and ‘The Dragon Prince’

Welcome to November’s Representation on TV Highlights! This month’s highlights include Queen Sugar, The Dragon Prince: The Mystery of Aaravos, and more.

We have exciting news from Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu. Read on to get all details.

In the News

Gabrielle Union and Eva Longoria Developing LGBTQ Wedding Comedy

• The film, which is being developed for Amazon, will star Union and Longoria as clashing mother-in-laws-to-be.
• The project is being written by Ricardo Gamboa and produced by Macro Film Studios, Union’s I’ll Have Another Productions, and Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. 

Mara Brock Akil adapting Judy Blume’s Novel Forever for Netflix 

• Forever is a coming-of-age story about two Black teens exploring their identities as they fall in love.
• Brock will serve as EP and showrunner for the series. It is the first project being produced under Brock’s new deal with Netflix.

NAACP and The Handy Foundation Launch Glam Squad Training Program

• The program seeks to prepare aspiring BIPOC hair and make-up artists to work on TV series and films.
• There has been increasing attention on the industry’s lack of diversity in this field and the problems created for Black actors working on projects with no Black hair or make-up artists.

This Fool Renewed By Hulu.

• Hulu renewed the Chris Estrada comedy for a second season on November 10th.
• The series follows the relationship between Julio (Estrada), who works at a rehabilitation program for former felons, and his cousin Luis (Frankie Quiñones), who was recently released from prison.

 

On TV Screens: Queen Suger

This month, Queen Sugar wrapped its last season after a historic seven-season run. Throughout its seven seasons, Queen Sugar has tackled issues such as police brutality, COVID, and the history of slavery in America with a frankness that made it stand out from other shows. 

Following the lives and loves of the Bordelons — a family of sugarcane farmers living in rural Louisiana — the show explored class, subverted toxic masculinity, and called out institutional racism. It never shied away from uncomfortable topics or potentially controversial issues.

It wasn’t just on screen that Queen Sugar challenged the status quo. Queen Sugar was the first major television project from Ava DuVernay. While developing Season 1, DuVernay decided to hire only women to direct the series. An unprecedented decision at the time.

As a result, forty-two women have directed episodes of the series. Of those forty-two, thirty-nine of those women made their directorial debut with the show.

Speaking about the end of the series, DuVernay said, “to write and produce seven seasons of a modern drama centered on a Black family is a radical act in our industry and a triumph that has far exceeded every hope I held.” Adding, “Queen Sugar has been one of the true joys of my career, and my gratitude is buoyant and boundless.”

Queen Sugar Seasons 1-6 are available to stream on Hulu. Season 7 will be available at a later date. 

 

Spotlight: The Dragon Prince’s General Amaya

Season 4 of The Dragon Prince, now called The Dragon Prince: The Mystery of Aaravos, premiered in November. A highlight of the season is the increased presence of Amaya, a general in the kingdom’s army, aunt of two of the series’ main characters, and fiancee of the Sun Elves’ queen.

For those unfamiliar, The Dragon Prince is an animated fantasy show from Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. It follows two young princes and a moon elf on a mission to end years of conflict between humans and dragons.

Initially, a minor player, Amaya, has become one of the series’ most significant characters. She is a respected leader, a skilled fighter, and a layered, sometimes flawed character that has grown in some wonderful ways over four seasons.

She is easily one of the most interesting characters of the series. Amaya is also deaf and uses a sign language interpreter to communicate. In addition to being deaf, she is queer, giving her unique intersectionality we don’t see enough on TV.

According to GLAAD’s 2022 “Where We Are on TV” report, only 2.8 percent of queer characters on TV had a disability. That is down from 3.5 percent the year before. Considering over a third of LGBTQIA+ people are also disabled, that is a pretty discouraging number. 

It’s a number that underscores why Amaya is such an excellent addition to the media landscape and one we can celebrate while we continue to push for more.

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