ColumnLate-night television shows have always resembled a boys’ club. But in recent years, the late-night landscape has started to change… albeit subtly. 

Mother Jones recently wrote a revealing piece that accounted for all the women who are credited as writers on all the major late-night shows. No show’s writing team is primarily female. And the only show that gets remotely close to that 50 percent mark is, not surprisingly, “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.”

The incident that sparked Mother Jones’ late night writer investigation was a recent “The Daily Show” tweet. Last week, after SCOTUS made its memorable abortion decision, the program’s Twitter account posted a tweet that said the following:

“Celebrate the #SCOTUS ruling! Go knock someone up in Texas!”

Yes, because as everyone knows, the SCOTUS ruling was all about men and their ability to have sex sans condoms. It had nothing to do with a woman’s right to choose or access to abortion centers.

Not surprisingly, “The Daily Show” quickly issued an apology. Problem was, though, it really wasn’t an apology… it was more of a “whatever, haters” kind of tweet:

“Friends, we’re certainly not promoting abortions. Just excited about #SCOTUS reaffirming right to choose.”

Many of the tweet complaints came from Twitter users who said this type of thing could be avoided in more women resided in “The Daily Show’s” writers’ room. Those users aren’t wrong. Hiring women and diverse writers only make comedy better. Because honestly, I think we have plenty options when it comes to white male humor.

So, are there any late-night hosts who want to do something about this problem? Of course!

Seth Meyers’ “A Closer Look” often examine issues that impact minorities and women. He also has a running bit he does with two of his female writers—Jenny Hagel and Amber Ruffin—that concerns “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” that basically torpedoes any male comedian who says they don’t have to be PC because it’s comedy.

As stated previously, Samantha Bee leads the pack when it comes to hiring diverse writers. According to Mother Jones’ reporting, Bee’s writing team includes five men and four women. Her team also is 30 percent nonwhite. Bee also strives to hire writers who are underestimated.

To help hire diverse writers, she created a blind application process. She also made the application process easy to attract people who weren’t seasoned, Hollywood writers.

““I have literally filled my office with people who have been underestimated their entire careers,” Samantha Bee says. “To a person, we almost all fit into that category. It is so joyful to collect a group of people who nobody has ever thought could grasp the reins of something and fucking go for it.”

And as far as I’m concerned, Bee’s hiring process kicks ass. Her show is one of the best things on television. And, apparently, a lot of people agree. “Full Frontal” gets 3.2 million viewers per episode, Jezebel reports.

So, keep at it, Bee. And come on, men of late night. Step up your efforts and hire more women and diverse writers. The results will probably make you laugh–in a good way.

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Image of Samantha Bee via Shutterstock, Debby Wong

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Did Netflix just redefine late night television with acquiring Chelsea Handler’s show?

The internet is abuzz with Netflix’s biggest announcement since launching its original programming with “House of Cards.” What sets the Chelsea Handler show apart from Netflix’s other programming is that it’s a talk show. Not exactly binge-watch material.

Editor-in-Chief of Variety, Andrew Wallenstein wrote: “Well, there’s two different ways to view the Handler hire: as a deviation from a core strategy or the formation of a new strategy. Either way, the move begs explanation.”

I say it doesn’t beg anything, save for its obvious plea: watch me.

The late night talk show scene has been defined for more than half a century as hosted by way too many moderately funny white guys. I’m not saying that’s a sexist decision as much as it’s one of convenience–if not a boring move, even though I’m pretty excited for Stephen Colbert to take over the Late Show from David Letterman next year.

Handler’s name was tossed about as a possible replacement for the Late Show spot, but deep down we all kind of knew that the most coveted late night seat would not be breaking from tradition, at least not yet, anyway. Handler could have taken Craig Ferguson’s spot. But that’s a sleepy time slot time. She knows better.

As an avid fan of “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report”, it is extremely rare that I watch the shows at 11/11:30 respectfully. But I do watch them with as much commitment as being a new mommy allows—sometimes that’s a full day or even a week later. Netflix is banking on this approach with the Chelsea Handler show because she already has an audience who will make the time to watch her show. For the people who may tune in but not stick around for a full episode, Netflix knows those viewers are more likely to move around the site, and that’s never bad for an online business that represents a whopping one-third of all Internet bandwidth in the U.S.

And this is my best guess as to why the networks didn’t go with Handler or anyone who wasn’t a moderately funny white guy. It’s not a sexist move, but a strategic one. In light of what the Internet is doing for entertainment, which is already proving to be huge, we can anticipate seeing the “original” networks revert back to even more rigidly classic programming styles to define their place in the entertainment world. While streaming web content is replete with the ‘anything goes’ tagline, networks are becoming stylized iconic brands like Ralph Lauren, Levi’s or Nike—there may have been periods where they were no longer quite in fashion, but once they figured out how to stop chasing trends and just do what it is they’re really good at, consumers embraced them with even more intensity. Network television will soon become the equivalent of a really well made pair of jeans, shoes or a timeless sweater you want to have in your wardrobe. That means conceivably “safer” programming choices for networks. Classics. More men in suits. Better news reporting. Dorkier family humor programming. That’s not Handler’s style and that’s not Netflix’s style, either, but we’re lucky now to have so many options at our fingertips.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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