Indian is the New Black? The Rise of Indian-Americans on American Television

Abstract

This article argues that the growing use of Indian-American characters in American television programming results from a combination of societal shifts in the United States as well as changes in the international system—specifically, the increasing ethnic diversity in America as well as the rise of non-western nations as important players in a globalized world that has led to a growing global market for American television programs. Further, the portrayal of such characters also ranges from what the British Broadcasting Corporation calls ‘color-blind casting’ (where the race and ethnicity of characters do not determine or limit the roles they portray) to more stereotypical renderings of the Indian-American community. It concludes by suggesting that changes in demography, as well as market forces within the United States and abroad, will probably lead not only to more Indian-Americans on television but also to their portraying roles that fit into the reality of the Indian-American status and experience in American society.