Earlier this week at the TCAs, CBS came under fire from critics for the gender balance of its six incoming fall series, all of which feature a male lead. (Five of whom are white.) Senior executive vice president of programming Thom Sherman told reporters that the network had developed several shows featuring female or minority leads for the upcoming season, but that, “The way things turned out, those pilots were not felt to be as good as some of the other series that were picked up,” adding, “That’s just the cycle of business and how it happens sometimes.” (Executives also responded to questions about the all-white makeup of the network’s casting department by noting that they’re “cognizant” of the issue.)
“Cognizant” wasn’t good enough for actress Jessica Chastain, who’s been a vocal proponent for more prominent female roles in the TV and film industry. In between shout-outs to her “twin,” Bryce Dallas Howard, and support for Viola Davis (who was promoting Black Women’s Equal Pay Day earlier this week), Chastain hit CBS with some fairly withering scorn, linking to the original The Wrap article about the fall-lineup, and noting all the things people could watch that aren’t CBS: