Latinos continue to be underrepresented in streaming shows, new UCLA report finds

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A new report from UCLA shows that Latinos are still significantly underrepresented in television.

A new report released on Tuesday analyzed the 250 most popular shows on streaming services, looking at both older and current titles. It found a significant drop in diversity – meaning fewer comedies and dramas reflected a variety of cultures – and fewer shows were created by people of color and women in 2024.

Latino representation in the television industry remains limited, both in front of and behind the camera. A recent analysis found that Latinos created only 1.1% of top streaming shows with original scripts. In those same shows, 3.3% featured Latino actors in leading roles, and 5.2% had Latino actors co-leading the cast. When considering only currently airing shows (not older content), 1.1% were created by Latinos, while 6.2% were led by Latino actors.

UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report began in 2014, analyzing data from 2011 onward. According to Ana-Christina Ramón, who leads UCLA’s Entertainment and Media Research Initiative, a lack of diversity in media isn’t a recent problem.

Ramón pointed out that their reports consistently show a significant lack of representation. He explained that, given they make up nearly 20% of the population, the numbers are surprisingly low. Even when improvements are seen, representation still falls far short of what it should be.

This isn’t just a problem for Latino representation. A new report shows that white actors play the vast majority of leading roles – four out of five – in popular streaming comedies and dramas. White men also create nearly 79% of these shows, significantly limiting opportunities for people of color and other ethnicities.

This decline in representation is happening as President Trump repeatedly criticizes and tries to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Many Hollywood companies seem to be responding to this. For example, Paramount Global has altered its hiring goals related to gender, race, and ethnicity. Warner Bros. Discovery has rebranded its DEI work as simply “inclusion,” and Disney removed diversity and inclusion as a factor in determining executive bonuses.

This research challenges the idea that American audiences don’t want diverse stories. It actually found that shows with diverse casts and writers often get better ratings, particularly live-action, scripted programs that represent a variety of communities.

This isn’t just happening on TV. Recent UCLA research shows that diversity is also increasing in streaming movies, with people of color making up over 30% of the cast in many of the most popular films of 2024 – specifically, eight of the top ten and fourteen of the top twenty.

Even though Latino actors and stories are often underrepresented, Netflix’s show “Griselda,” starring Sofia Vergara, was very popular in 2024, ranking as the fifth most-streamed TV show overall. It did even better in Latino homes, becoming the third most-watched program, only after the kids’ shows “Bluey” and “Bebefinn.”

According to Ramón, the show ‘Griselda’ benefited from its popularity and the reputation of its creators, who also made ‘Narcos’. Even though the subject matter is a common one, the connection to ‘Narcos’ gave it a certain level of credibility and appeal.

Successful shows generally need a recognizable star, an engaging subject matter, and a connection to an existing, popular franchise. For example, a 2023 report showed that Netflix’s “Wednesday” and “The Last of Us” were among the most-streamed shows, and both featured Latino lead actors.

All three shows – “Griselda,” “Wednesday,” and “The Last of Us” – are well-made and based on well-known material. “Griselda” is a true crime story, “Wednesday” comes from “The Addams Family” franchise, and “The Last of Us” is adapted from a popular video game.

Ramón explained that success isn’t tied to any particular ethnic group, but rather to the quality of the storytelling itself. He highlighted a promising trend: shows featuring underrepresented voices – including Latinx and other BIPOC stories – generally receive better reviews and ratings than those that don’t.

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2025-12-18 02:31