‘Bunheads’ Lacks Diversity? Creator Defends Against Casting Criticism

ABC’s new show Bunheads may not be the most diverse show on TV, but creator Amy Sherman-Palladino says that it isn’t fair to criticize the show for its lack of ethnic diversity.

Bunheads was criticized earlier this week by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, who said that she doesn’t feel right letting her children watch the show sinceBunheads doesn’t contain any actors of color.

Rhimes tweeted:

“Hey @abcfbunheads: really? You couldn’t cast even ONE young dancer of color so I could feel good about my kid watching this show? NOT ONE?”

Sherman-Palladino addressed Rhimes in an interview today but didn’t exactly address the diversity issue. Instead, the show’s creator criticized Rhymes for not lending her support to a fellow female showrunner.

Sherman Palladino said:

“Look, I’m not going to get into a pissing match with Shonda Rhimes because she has 15,000 shows on the air, and she’s doing just fine for herself…. [But] I’ve always felt that women, in a general sense, have never supported other women the way they should…I think it’s a shame, but to me, it is what it is…. I wouldn’t do it… I wouldn’t go after another woman. I, frankly, wouldn’t go after another showrunner.”

Sherman-Palladino also said that it was extremely hard to get the show made in the first place, and that her casting options were limited because of the show’s budget.

The show’s creator said:

“It is so hard to get a show on the air, [because of] what you have to do and the layers of bulls— and fighting and scraping — and particularly this show because our budget was very small and our demands were so high.”

Here’s a video of Bunheads.

Do you think Rhymes was right to criticize Bunheads for its lack of diversity. Here’s the video of Amy Sherman-Palladino interview with Media Mayhem.