History Main / MinorityShowGhetto

* ''Film/RedTails'' was in {{development hell}} for over 20 years because the idea of an all-black cast wasn't appealing enough for a movie studio to fund it, so producer Creator/GeorgeLucas funded the film entirely out of his own pocket and it finally saw the light of day in 2012. It got a 40% on Website/RottenTomatoes and didn't make back its budget at the box office. Like many other examples, it's unclear if this is because of the all-black cast, valid criticisms of the film, or simply for having [[DarthWiki/FallenCreator George Lucas]]'s name on it. The film was quite successful for an independently-produced project and Lucas is trying to get a sequel made.

* ''Literature/CrazyRichAsians'' trilogy is also a best-selling novel about a bunch of rich Asians, of which a film adaptation is made that also had an all-Asian cast.

* Like its book adaptation, ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'' became a box office success and earned positive reviews which proves that a movie with an all-Asian cast can be successful as any other movie. And a week after the movie's release, a sequel, which would adapt the second book (''China Rich Girlfriend''), is being planned.

* ''Literature/CrazyRichAsians'' trilogy is also a best-selling novel about a bunch of rich Asians that a film adaptation is made which would also had an all-Asian cast.

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]

** UPN in general faced this problem for its entire existence. While its black-led sitcoms were always popular with black audiences, none of them ever managed to break out of the ghetto. When UPN was merged with Creator/TheWB in 2006 to form Creator/TheCW, most of UPN's black-led shows wound up getting left behind and the new network aimed for The WB's white middle-class audience. Despite this, [[Series/{{Moesha}} many]] [[Series/TheParkers shows]] [[Series/OneOnOne on]] [[Series/{{Girlfriends}} UPN]] [[Series/EverybodyHatesChris still]] have their fans to this day, and even after ditching these shows, [[LaserGuidedKarma the "middle-class" CW would still struggle in the ratings]].

[[AC: Music]]

[[AC:Professional Wrestling]]

[[AC: Web Original]]

* Somewhat subverted with Creator/DCComics' ''ComicBook/{{Steel}}'', who was the most popular of the replacement Franchise/Superman characters during ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' storyline. His own series didn't last long, but that may have been more due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatComicsCrashOf1996 than anything.

* Although not as successful as other Franchise/SpiderMan films (largely due to being released alongside ''Aquaman'' and ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}''), ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'', starring ComicBook/MilesMorales, raised $375 million in total, won the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar for Best Animated Film and has already been confirmed a sequel, in addition to plans for future spin-offs with female protagonists, such as Spider-Gwen and Spider-Woman.

* ''Series/SisterSister'': Five black protagonists, and the leads were girls to boot. It ran for six seasons and was quite popular on Nickelodeon.

* Creator/ThandwieNewton has likewise said "I love the UK but I just can't work there", saying that the majority of television that gets produced is period pieces or "stuff about the Royal Family" - meaning [[MonochromeCasting they feature majority white casts]].

* Creator/JustineLarbalestier's ''Literature/Liar2009'': The original US book cover had the [[RaceLift minority lead changed to be a white woman]]. This is depressingly common in the Young Adult category -- with the minority ghetto sometimes passed around as an excuse for doing so. The author blogs about the change [[http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2009/07/23/aint-that-a-shame/ here]]. But there's a happy ending: After the issue got a significant amount of negative publicity, the publishers [[http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2009/08/06/the-new-cover/ commissioned a new cover for the next print run]] that's basically the same as the old one [[AuthorsSavingThrow but with an African-American model who looks like the book's actual protagonist]].

* Although their movies averted the trope, it's suspiciously alive and well in the Franchise/DisneyPrincess merchandise. WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} and WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}} are often featured less than the white princesses - possibly due to their lack of {{Pimped Out Dress}}es and coming from cultures that wouldn't allow for the Western-style gowns the princesses are often depicted in. [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin|1992}} Jasmine]], an Arab princess, is likewise sometimes depicted in a western style gown. [[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2819526/Disney-s-profitable-princesses-blonde-white-ones-hair-color-skin-tone-correlate-merchandise-sales.html A 2014 study]] showed that [[WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog Tiana]] and Jasmine's merchandise sold considerably less than the white princesses'. A redesign in 2013 controversially lightened the skin tones of all the princesses of colour too.

* [[http://www.lethalwow.com/2015/09/13/bobby-between-the-ropes-the-wwe-divas-and-the-uncomfortable-subject-of-race/ Pointed out]] that Wresting/{{WWE}} has rarely had a woman of color pushed as a top {{Face}} - management favouring Caucasian blondes and light-skinned Latinas. Black women tend to get pushed as heels and there has rarely been more than one Asian female in the company at a time. Further exacerbating matters after the article was published was Wrestling/SashaBanks getting such short Women's Championship reigns - despite her clear popularity. All the women she lost her titles to were blonde and white by the way.

* ''Film/{{Shaft}}'' made back its budget many times over and earned excellent reviews, despite having a black lead and a mostly black cast.

* ''Series/FreshOffTheBoat'', which stars an Asian-American family and also airs on ABC, turned out to be a surprise hit. Many were expecting it to flop like the ''Series/AllAmericanGirl'' example from above, but it turned out to have a very strong debut. There's a LampshadeHanging on this trope in-universe. In one episode, one of the sons says that he wants to be an actor, and Jessica tells him that there are no roles for Asian actors in Hollywood.

* ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' is recognized as one of the Creator/DisneyChannel's iconic shows, essentially acting as the codifier for shows that weren't influenced by ''Series/LizzieMcGuire''. It was so popular, it ran past the typical Disney Channel 65-episode limit[[note]]Disney Channel shows are contracted to end once they've hit 65 episodes[[/note]] and gained both a spin-off in ''Series/CoryInTheHouse'' and a revival in ''Series/RavensHome''.

** Wrestling/EmberMoon was pushed with an undefeated streak on NXT and eventually became Women's Champion.
** [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] proved to be a massive star, beating out Goldberg's undefeated streak and even becoming the winner of the first Women's Wrestling/RoyalRumble.
** Kairi Sane was the winner of the Mae Young Classic tournament.

* ''Theatre/TheWiz'' presented an all-African-American retelling of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', also boasting African-American songwriters and a black director. It lasted four years on Broadway, and also won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Additionally, the 2015 TV special - which had an African-American director as well as black actors and actresses - earned strong ratings and reviews, and won an Emmy for costume design.

* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' has an entirely Asian main cast, with the recurring characters Captain Black and Viper the only major Caucasian characters on the heroes' side. It was also one of the most successful original Creator/KidsWB shows of the early 2000s, with a devoted fanbase that's still active today. Perhaps this is to be expected, since the cast was headed up by a [[AdamWesting highly fictionalized version of]] Jackie Chan [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin himself]], who also tends to avert this.

-->-- '''Kenan Thompson''' as '''Creator/TylerPerry''', ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''

** He also invoked this trope while discussing ''ComicBook/TheCrew'', a short-lived book he wrote featuring Comicbook/WarMachine and several other minority heroes. He initially tried to get characters like Comicbook/{{Gambit}} and [[Comicbook/NewWarriors Justice]] added to the cast precisely because he didn't want ''The Crew'' to be seen as a "black" comic, but when this fell through, he ended up with an entirely-minority cast. He claims the lack of white characters is one of the things that helped kill the book, as retailers didn't feel like ordering a series without any recognizable white superheroes.
** Priest finally returned to mainstream comics in 2016 with ''Comicbook/{{Deathstroke}}'' for the Comicbook/DCRebirth relaunch. He claims he initially turned down an offer to do a Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} series for the reasons mentioned above, and only agreed to write Deathstroke after the editors assured him the character hadn't been {{Race Lift}}ed into a black guy.

* ''Film/ImitationOfLife1959'' broke out of the ghetto but the marketing heavily focused on the LoveTriangle between Lana Turner, John Gavin and Sandra Dee - almost in an attempt to sucker audiences who might be alienated by what the director viewed as the true story of the film; Lana Turner's black housekeeper trying to raise her fair-skinned daughter.

* Justin Lin had a hard time raising money for his first movie, ''Film/BetterLuckTomorrow'', because very few people wanted to fund a movie with an entirely Asian-American cast. One potential investor said he'd donate a million dollars to the budget if Lin would agree to cast Macaulay Culkin as the lead...[[RaceLift despite the fact that the movie was based on a true story about an Asian-American teen]].
* Creator/TylerPerry's movies are not very popular outside the black community, though there is controversy on whether it's because white people don't want to see movies with all-black casts or because the movies are of poor quality.
* Creator/SpikeLee gets hit with this, too. His ''Miracle at St. Anna'' didn't get the best reviews (34% at Website/RottenTomatoes) but that alone doesn't explain its incredibly low box office numbers (a little over US$9 million with a budget of US$45 million).

* Creator/ThandieNewton has likewise said "I love the UK but I just can't work there", saying that the majority of television that gets produced is period pieces or "stuff about the Royal Family" - meaning [[MonochromeCasting they feature majority white casts]].

* ''Film/RedTails'' was in {{development hell}} for over 20 years because the idea of an all-black cast wasn't appealing enough for a movie studio to fund it, so producer Creator/GeorgeLucas funded the film entirely out of his own pocket and it finally saw the light of day in 2012. It got a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes and didn't make back its budget at the box office. Like many other examples, it's unclear if this is because of the all-black cast, valid criticisms of the film, or simply for having [[DarthWiki/FallenCreator George Lucas]]'s name on it. The film was quite successful for an independently-produced project and Lucas is trying to get a sequel made.
* In ''Film/{{Hitch}}'', Will Smith was paired with Latina Creator/EvaMendes to avoid risking audiences dismissing it as a "black film."

* ''The Real [=McCoy=]'', an all-black comedy sketch show on Creator/TheBBC, bombed.

* A big part of why {{disco}} became CondemnedByHistory is that it was never able to fully escape this despite the explosion of its mainstream popularity. It had its roots in the black, Latino, Italian, and [[WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame gay]] nightclubs of UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity and UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}, roots that it never shook even as people from those scenes accused the genre's biggest artists of [[{{Sellout}} selling out]], and so for many (especially in [[FlyoverCountry Middle America]]) who didn't come from that background, disco came to be indelibly associated with [[TheHedonist hedonistic]] [[CampGay effetes]] and [[TheCityVsTheCountry city slickers]] bringing their lifestyles into the heartland. Music historians often see the backlash against disco as intertwined with the broader conservative backlash of the late '70s that eventually produced UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan and UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher.

* Although their movies averted the trope, it's suspiciously alive and well in the Franchise/DisneyPrincess merchandise. WesternAnimaation/{{Mulan}} and WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}} are often featured less than the white princesses - possibly due to their lack of {{Pimped Out Dress}}es and coming from cultures that wouldn't allow for the western style gowns the princesses are often depicted in. Jasmine, an Arab princess, is likewise sometimes depicted in a western style gown. [[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2819526/Disney-s-profitable-princesses-blonde-white-ones-hair-color-skin-tone-correlate-merchandise-sales.html A 2014 study]] showed that Tiana and Jasmine's merchandise sold considerably less than the white princesses'. A redesign in 2013 controversially lightened the skin tones of all the princesses of colour too.

* [[http://www.lethalwow.com/2015/09/13/bobby-between-the-ropes-the-wwe-divas-and-the-uncomfortable-subject-of-race/ Pointed out]] that WWE has rarely had a woman of colour pushed as a top {{Face}} - management favouring Caucasian blondes and light-skinned Latinas. Black women tend to get pushed as heels and there has rarely been more than one Asian female in the company at a time. Further exacerbating matters after the article was published was Wrestling/SashaBanks getting such short Women's Championship reigns - despite her clear popularity. All the women she lost her titles to were blonde and white by the way.

* ''WesternAnimation/SeisManos'' was Powerhouse Animation's first original series following the very well received ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017''. However, unlike ''Castlevania'', ''Seis Manos'' drew on Mexican culture and a Mexican setting for its series. Also unlike ''Castlevania'', the show suffered from very low viewership and conversations with the showrunners (particularly during a 2020 New York Comic Con panel) seem to indicate that the one season is all that will be made.

* Stepin Fetchit got his start in the Black Vaudeville circuit as a character actor. However, his slow-witted [[UncleTomfoolery tomming]] in the 1929 version of ''Showboat'' endeared him with white audiences, and led to mainstream success.
* Martial arts films starring Creator/BruceLee, Creator/JackieChan, and Creator/JetLi have gained mainstream popularity in the United States.

* Nineteen years after the first ''Spy Kids'', Creator/RobertRodriguez's direct-to-Creator/{{Netflix}} superhero movie ''Film/WeCanBeHeroes2020'' would present a similar premise -- crimefighters' offspring free the adults from captivity -- with an even more diverse cast, anchored once again by Latin-Americans. It managed to become Creator/{{Netflix}}'s most-streamed movie for more than one day, boosted by some of the adults' star power, and the public's nostalgia for Rodriguez's past family pictures. Consequently, Netflix greenlit a sequel.

* The title character of the popular ''Literature/AlexCross'' series by Creator/JamesPatterson is black. This is another example of a book where the POC lead character's race is kept ambiguous until after you've started reading.

* ''{{Series/Scandal}}'' has a black female in the lead, averting both the minority show ghetto ''and'' the girl show ghetto.

* Netflix's ''Series/{{Narcos}}'' has a similar vibe as ''Series/BreakingBad'' except it's based on the RealLife notorious Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar. As expected, the majority of the cast are Hispanics and it got renewed for several more seasons and earned several Golden Globe nominations.

* ''Series/{{Atlanta}}'', despite having a black cast and writing team (in addition to being pretty weird), has gathered excellent ratings, critical acclaim, and a large amount of awards.
* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' seems like the most racially-diverse live-action ''Franchise/StarWars'' property, with plenty of POC in both the cast (headlined by ''Narcos''' Creator/PedroPascal in the mostly-masked title role) and the crew (several chapters boast nonwhite directors, many of whom helm other ''Star Wars'' projects afterwards). Among ''Star Wars'' fans, the first two seasons became the best-received live-action products of the Disney/Lucasfilm merger, while the show's warm reception among the general public turned it into an early hit for the Creator/DisneyPlus steaming service. Interestingly, the first SpinOff to air, ''The Book of Boba Fett'', co-stars two AAPI actors (Creator/TemueraMorrison and Creator/MingNaWen), who, unlike Pascal, can show their faces in every episode.

* ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' has a large vast of Latin characters who all make an impact in some way. It's also one of Disney Junior's highest rated and most successful shows. Like its [[WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst parent series]], it also breaks out of the girl show ghetto.

* ''Series/MyBrotherAndMe'', a Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} sitcom with a mostly black cast, [[ShortRunners only lasted 13 episodes]], though strangely, re-runs would be kept in rotation for a good decade. ''My Brother and Me'' can be attributed to CreativeDifferences.

* The TV series ''Series/KungFu'' was originally meant to star Creator/BruceLee. However, executives feared that a show starring an Asian man would be rejected by viewers and cast the white David Carradine as the [[FakeMixedRace half-Chinese]] Caine.

** UPN in general faced this problem for its entire existence. While its black-led sitcoms were always popular with black audiences, none of them ever managed to break out of the ghetto. When UPN was merged with Creator/TheWB in 2006 to form Creator/TheCW, most of UPN's black-led shows wound up getting left behind and the new network aimed for the WB's white middle-class audience. Despite this, [[Series/{{Moesha}} many]] [[Series/TheParkers shows]] [[Series/OneOnOne on]] [[Series/{{Girlfriends}} UPN]] [[Series/EverybodyHatesChris still]] have their fans to this day, and even after ditching these shows, [[LaserGuidedKarma the "middle-class" CW would still struggle in the ratings]].
** Ironically the WB itself started off similarly to UPN and had the same problem with its black sitcoms. Likewise Creator/{{Fox}} in the early '90s.

* In ''Series/TheRealHusbandsOfHollywood'', J.B. Smoove eventually leaves the show to join the cast of ''Series/TheMillers'', and [[LampshadeHanging jokingly brags about how much more he's getting paid now that he's on a "white show"]] rather than a Creator/{{BET}} production. He's also seen wearing a shirt that reads "White people love me." In an earlier episode, Creator/ChrisRock guest-stars and explains to Creator/KevinHart the difference between being "black famous" and "actually famous," essentially invoking this trope in all but name.

* Although their movies averted the trope, it's suspiciously alive and well in the Franchise/DisneyPrincess merchandise. Mulan and Pocahontas are often featured less than the white princesses - possibly due to their lack of {{Pimped Out Dress}}es and coming from cultures that wouldn't allow for the western style gowns the princesses are often depicted in. Jasmine, an Arab princess, is likewise sometimes depicted in a western style gown. [[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2819526/Disney-s-profitable-princesses-blonde-white-ones-hair-color-skin-tone-correlate-merchandise-sales.html A 2014 study]] showed that Tiana and Jasmine's merchandise sold considerably less than the white princesses'. A redesign in 2013 controversially lightened the skin tones of all the princesses of colour too.

* Al Simmons was black, but ''Comicbook/{{Spawn}}'' was still the most popular comic book series of the 1990s. Note, however, that due to his full-body costume (not to mention being disfigured), Spawn's ethnicity wasn't immediately evident.
* Somewhat subverted with Creator/DCComics ''ComicBook/{{Steel}}'', who was the most popular of the replacement Superman characters during ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' storyline. His own series didn't last long, but that may have been more due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatComicsCrashOf1996 than anything.

* ComicBook/MilesMorales, the second ''Comicbook/UltimateSpiderMan'', has proven popular with fans and critics despite the initial backlash the character faced over being a "Black Spider-Man."

* ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' has a majority minority cast (two biracial girls, one Chinese-American girl, one light-skinned ambiguously latina girl, and one white girl) but that's never hurt its popularity. It's one of the more popular female-aimed comics (and [[WesternAnimation/{{Witch}} cartoons]]) of the 2000s.
* ''ComicBook/AgentsOfAtlas'' revived Marvel's oldest Chinese-American crimefighter, Jimmy Woo, in a story boasting a Wakandan AudienceSurrogate, Derek Khanata, and earned a positive enough reception for Woo and his fellow Agents to re-appear in several more comics. The New Agents of Atlas, consisting ''entirely'' of crimefighters with Asian heritage, defied the Ghetto with the first issue of their ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' tie-in; even after Marvel doubled retailers' orders for the comic, it sold out after a few days, requiring Marvel to print it a second time. This success also prompted Marvel to commission more stories for both sets of Agents.

* Creator/DonaldGlover might be the best modern example of a complete aversion to this trope. He has a following of all ethnicities around the world and has done practically everything in a short time as a successful writer, director, comedian, and [[Music/ChildishGambino music artist]]. Any character he plays, even if minor, inevitably becomes an EnsembleDarkhorse. The only time he really ran into this trope was when he unsuccessfully campaigned to play a {{Race Lift}}ed Franchise/SpiderMan in Sony's ill-fated ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'', but even ''that'' ended up getting subverted when it lead to the creation of ComicBook/MilesMorales as direct inspiration, who in turn became one of the most popular characters introduced in the 2010s.
* Stepin Fetchit got his start in the black vaudeville circuit as a character actor. However, his slow-witted [[UncleTomfoolery tomming]] in the 1929 version of ''Showboat'' endeared him with white audiences, and led to mainstream success.

* ''Film/{{Friday}}'' was a breakaway hit with a virtually all-black cast and took place in South-Central Los Angeles, yet it's a favorite even among white audiences, with its archetypal characters, stoner humor and lack of forced racial commentary.

* 2012 movie ''Think Like a Man'', which had an almost all-black cast and was BasedOnAnAdviceBook by black comedian Steve Harvey, topped the box office when released in theaters, actually pushing ''Film/TheHungerGames'' to No. 4.
* ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire'' is a decidedly Indian story (albeit directed and written by white Brits), yet it earned both critical and commercial acclaim in the west as well as that year's best picture Oscar. However, opinion on the film in India itself is decidedly more mixed.
* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' (and ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'') stars a pair of native Hawaiian sisters and their various alien TrueCompanions; even most of the secondary human cast (Cobra Bubbles, Mrs. Hasigawa) are non-white. Nevertheless the movie was quite successful. Not as successful as most Disney originals, but that may have been from competing with ''Film/ScoobyDoo''.

* Nineteen years after the first ''Spy Kids'', Robert Rodriguez's direct-to-Creator/{{Netflix}} superhero movie ''Film/WeCanBeHeroes2020'' would present a similar premise -- crimefighters' offspring free the adults from captivity -- with an even more diverse cast, anchored once again by Latin-Americans. It managed to become Netflix's most-streamed movie for more than one day, boosted by some of the adults' star power, and the public's nostalgia for Rodriguez's past family pictures. Consequently, Netflix greenlit a sequel.
* The Disney features ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' were wildly successful, while having casts consisting entirely of Arabic, Chinese or Manchu, and Polynesian characters. ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' became a CultClassic, despite its predominantly African-American cast, and AmbiguouslyBrown {{Love Interest|s}}. ''{{WesternAnimation/Pocahontas}}'', which also features Native American protagonists, has also been VindicatedByHistory and has more fans these days.[[note]]Most of the cast of ''Aladdin'' was white but ''Moana'', ''The Princess and the Frog'', ''Mulan'', and ''Pocahontas'' featured predominantly Polynesian, African, Asian, and Native American voice actors respectively where they were required.[[/note]]
* The ''Film/{{Aladdin|2019}}'' LiveActionAdaptation boasted an even more ethnic cast (aside from the above mentioned Will Smith plus one white actor playing a visiting monarch, the main cast were of Arab, Persian or Indian descent), and became the year's ninth-highest grossing film worldwide.
* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' stars Jamie Foxx as a black ex-slave and was both a critical and commercial success.

* A similar instance was cited for ''Film/NoGoodDeed2014'', which starred Creator/IdrisElba and Creator/TarajiPHenson. Though it was savaged by critics, the film managed to pull in $51 million on a $13 million budget, making it a surprise success. This trope was even cited by box office analysts, who stated that it was unusual for a black-led thriller to find success like that at the box office.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Home}}'', which stars singer Music/{{Rihanna}} as the film's black protagonist, was a surprise hit, opening at $54 million domestically and 99.7 million worldwide. The movie's opening weekend was touted as a much-needed success for Creator/{{Dreamworks}} after the disappointing openings for ''WesternAnimation/MrPeabodyAndSherman'' and ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar''.
* ''Film/StraightOuttaCompton'', the movie about the controversial rap group, {{Music/NWA}}, had a mostly black cast, a black director, and many black producers and executive producers. It was a huge success at the box office, and reigned as the number one film in America for three weeks in a row before another black film, ''Film/WarRoom'', surpassed it as the number one film for the fourth and fifth week. It's considered one of the most successful black films in American history and a strong statement against the stereotype that African-American films can't do well at the box office. Interestingly, during the sixth week after ''Straight Outta Compton'', another black film, ''The Perfect Guy'' came in number one at the box office - making it six straight weeks that an African American film was the number one seen movie in America.

* ''Film/GetOut2017'' was seen as a long shot, as it was an indie horror film about race, starred a [[Creator/DanielKaluuya largely-unknown]] (at least in the U.S.) actor as the lead, and was director Jordan Peele's first movie. It opened at #1 at the box office and garnered rave reviews, and went on to gross $252 million dollars against a meager 5 million dollar budget. Peele would then have success again with ''Film/{{Us}}'', which might not be as representative of the ghetto - it does star a whole Black family, but [[Creator/LupitaNyongo the lead]] is well-known, and race is not as central to the plot.

* ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', which has a very African setting and only two white actors in the main cast, was released to rave reviews and a higher opening than the first installment of any other solo MCU movie series, going on to break Marvel Studios' top three largest-grossing movies worldwide. Domestically, it became the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time, not adjusting for inflation - [[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-22/-black-panther-reveals-black-audiences-box-office-superpower analysts even pointed out how well it performed in mostly Black cities]]. Then it became the first superhero genre film to be nominated for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards, and the first MCU film to win any Oscars at all.[[note]]Specifically, it claimed Best Costumes, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.[[/note]]
* ''Film/Aquaman2018'' grossed over $1 billion worldwide and garner positive reviews while being directed by Asian-Australian filmmaker Creator/JamesWan and having the traditionally white superhero be played by Polynesian and Native American actor Creator/JasonMomoa. If anything, fans openly embraced the Aquaman's RaceLift since Momoa's performance helped save the hero from his infamous JokeCharacter reputation.

* Although not as successful as other Spider-Man films (largely due to being released alongside ''Aquaman'' and ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}''), ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'', starring Miles Morales, raised $375 million in total, won the Oscar for best animated film and has already been confirmed a sequel, in addition to plans for future spin-offs with female protagonists, such as Spider-Gwen and Spider-Woman.

* ''Series/TheWire''. Almost all the cast is black. It's largely about the problems of low-income communities and housing projects almost exclusively inhabited by black people. It is also regarded as one of the best TV series ever made. It is especially popular among academics, so much so that [[http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/item_TxvbS2nzKJOzClVuOxRDmI Harvard]], [[http://www5.uwm.edu/news/2012/04/26/uwm%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98the-wire%E2%80%99-course-started-academic-trend/#.UUgFQXE-v8Y UWM]], [[http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2010/03/04/professor-turns-hbos-wire-class Durham]], and [[http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2010/03/this_will_be_on_the_midterm_you_feel_me.html other colleges]] are offering courses on the series. It is worth noting, however, that the season of ''Series/TheWire'' that had the highest ratings was the one in which the majority of characters were white. Which is ironic in itself, as the second season is generally regarded as SeasonalRot, and can more likely be attributed as a roll-on effect of how well the first season was received.
* ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' is probably one of the biggest aversions of this in TV history. Though, of course, Cosby had to work like heck to convince network execs that a show about a professional-class African American family [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail was something that people would watch]].

* ''Series/KenanAndKel'', a Nickelodeon sitcom with two black leads, ran for 62 episodes and is beloved by children of the '90s.

* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' was a black-led sitcom, and is a classic that launched Will Smith's career.

* ''Series/TheJeffersons'', the longest running black sitcom in history. It was rated in the top 30 for most of its run. Granted, there were white actors in the cast, but the leads and the majority of the cast were black.
* ''Jeffersons'' producer Norman Lear also struck gold with both ''Series/GoodTimes'' and ''Series/SanfordAndSon'', although both shows would be dogged with accusations of UncleTomfoolery, and are often mocked as "black shows that only appeal to white people."

* ''Series/TheBrothersGarcia'', a successful sitcom about a Hispanic family, featured an all-Hispanic cast as well as guest stars of many ethnicities. It was one of Nickelodeon's more popular shows and ran for four seasons.

* ''Series/HowToGetAwayWithMurder'' managed to have one of the highest-rated debuts of the season, which analysts noted was a rarity for black-led shows. Along with the premier of ''Series/BlackIsh'', the show was cited as an example of how ABC's push for more ethnic diversity was paying off.
* ''Series/FreshOffTheBoat'', which stars an Asian-American family and also airs on ABC, turned out to be a surprise hit. Many were expecting it to flop like the ''All American Girl'' example from above, but it turned out to have a very strong debut. There's a LampshadeHanging on this trope in-universe. In one episode, one of the sons says that he wants to be an actor, and Jessica tells him that there are no roles for Asian actors in Hollywood.
* ''{{Series/Nikita}}'' has an Asian female in the lead and, like ''Scandal'', breaks out of both the minority show ghetto and the girl show ghetto.
* ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' is recognized as one of the Disney Channel's iconic shows, essentially acting as the codifier for shows that weren't influenced by ''Series/LizzieMcGuire''. It was so popular, it ran past the typical Disney Channel 65-episode limit[[note]]Disney Channel shows are contracted to end once they've hit 65 episodes[[/note]] and gained both a spin-off in ''Series/CoryInTheHouse'' and a revival in ''Series/RavensHome''.
* ''Series/InLivingColor'' was pretty much the African-American version of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' and became a huge success for the Creator/{{Fox}} network, and was at one time competing neck-and-neck with SNL for ratings. The show ran for five seasons until it was finally cancelled, not due to ExecutiveMeddling, but because the majority of the show's main cast all became big stars in their own right and went on to make successful films and television shows for themselves. Some of the people behind the scenes went on to create ''Series/{{MADtv}}'', though that show didn't have a predominately African-American cast.
* One of the stars of ''In Living Color'', Damon Wayans, also managed to co-create and star in a successful sitcom, ''Series/MyWifeAndKids'', that while not a ratings behemoth still managed to last for five seasons.
* ''Series/{{Empire}}'' has proven to be a surprise hit for Creator/{{Fox}}, with viewership dwarfing many of the other hyped up shows of the season like ''Series/AgentCarter''. Some people (including Music/FiftyCent) have actually accused the show of being a case of FollowTheLeader made to cash in on the success of the aforementioned ''Power''.

* Since the above article was written, WWE has seen a couple of aversions:
** {{Wrestling/Naomi}} finally got her long awaited push as the top face and became Smackdown Women's Champion in 2017.

** [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] proved to be a massive star, beating out Goldberg's undefeated streak and even becoming the winner of the first women's Royal Rumble.

* Despite being rather controversial in its first season, ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' would grow to become one of Adult Swim's most popular productions. Its third season was even regularly beating out both ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' and ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' in the ratings.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' seems like the most racially-diverse live-action ''Franchise/StarWars'' property, with plenty of POC in both the cast (headlined by ''Narcos''' Creator/PedroPascal in the mostly-masked title role) and the crew (several chapters boast nonwhite directors, many of whom helm other ''Star Wars'' projects afterwards). Among ''Star Wars'' fans, the first two seasons became the best-received live-action products of the Disney/Lucasfilm merger, while the show's warm reception among the general public turned it into an early hit for the Creator/DisneyPlus steaming service.

The result of this belief is that works starring people of a racial minority in the work's place of origin are rare compared to works starring a member of a racial majority. If a Western work of fiction wishes to have a diverse cast or deal with issues of race, it will likely star a white person with minorities as supporting actors. See MightyWhitey, WhiteMansBurden, WhiteMaleLead, TokenWhite, and PopCultureIsolation. Adaptions and anything {{based on a true story}} fearing this might go for a {{race lift}} to get around it, making any minorities in the original work white instead. Alternatively, they might find a white person who had a minor role in the original story and [[AscendedExtra focus on him]].

* A big part of why {{disco}} became, well, DeaderThanDisco is that it was never able to fully escape this despite the explosion of its mainstream popularity. It had its roots in the black, Latino, Italian, and [[WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame gay]] nightclubs of UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity and UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}, roots that it never shook even as people from those scenes accused the genre's biggest artists of [[{{Sellout}} selling out]], and so for many (especially in [[FlyoverCountry Middle America]]) who didn't come from that background, disco came to be indelibly associated with [[TheHedonist hedonistic]] [[CampGay effetes]] and [[TheCityVsTheCountry city slickers]] bringing their lifestyles into the heartland. Music historians often see the backlash against disco as intertwined with the broader conservative backlash of the late '70s that eventually produced UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan and UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher.

* Similarly, the Creator/JamieChung film ''Film/Eden2012'' struggled to find funding because it starred an Asian-American lead. Chung has said in interviews that the execs wanted to include a heroic WhiteMaleLead who would eventually save Eden, something the producers were adamant about avoiding since the film is based on a true story.

* Similarly, the Creator/JamieChung film ''Film/AbductionOfEden'' struggled to find funding because it starred an Asian-American lead. Chung has said in interviews that the execs wanted to include a heroic WhiteMaleLead who would eventually save Eden, something the producers were adamant about avoiding since the film is based on a true story.

* ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire'' is a decidedly Indian story (albeit directed by a Brit), yet it earned both critical and commercial acclaim in the west as well as that year's best picture Oscar. However, opinion on the film in India itself is decidedly more mixed.

* Nineteen years after the first ''Spy Kids'', Robert Rodriguez's direct-to-Creator/{{Netflix}} superhero movie ''Film/WeCanBeHeroes2020'' would present a similar premise -- crimefighters' offspring free the adults from captivity -- with an even more diverse cast. It managed to become Netflix's most-streamed movie for more than one day, boosted by some of the adults' star power and the public's nostalgia for Rodriguez's past family pictures.

* Nineteen years after the first ''Spy Kids'', Robert Rodriguez's direct-to-Creator/{{Netflix}} superhero movie ''Film/WeCanBeHeroes2020'' would present a similar premise -- a Latin-American crimefighter's offspring frees him from captivity -- with an even more diverse cast. It managed to become Netflix's most-streamed movie for more than one day, boosted by [[Creator/PedroPascal the crimefighter's actor]]'s star power and the public's nostalgia for Rodriguez's past family pictures.

* Nineteen years after the first ''Spy Kids'', Robert Rodriguez's direct-to-Creator/{{Netflix}} superhero movie ''Film/WeCanBeHeroes2020'' would present a similar premise -- a Latin-American crimefighter's offspring frees him from captivity -- with an even more diverse cast. It managed to become Netflix's most-streamed movie for more than one day, boosted by [[Creator/PedroPascal the crimefighter's actor]]'s star power and nostalgia for Rodriguez's past family pictures.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' seems like the most racially-diverse live-action ''Franchise/StarWars'' property, with plenty of POC in both the cast (headlined by ''Narcos''' Creator/PedroPascal in the masked title role) and the crew (five of the first season's eight chapters boasted nonwhite directors). Among ''Star Wars'' fans, the first season became the best-received live-action product of the Disney/Lucasfilm merger, while its warm reception among the general public turned it into an early hit for the Creator/DisneyPlus steaming service. Lucasfilm subsequently allowed two of the aforementioned directors of color to helm separate projects, assigning Deborah Chow[[note]]directed "The Sin" and "The Reckoning"; also portrayed Sash Ketter[[/note]] to an Obi-Wan Kenobi show and Creator/TaikaWaititi[[note]]directed "Redemption"; also voiced IG-11[[/note]] to a future ''Star Wars'' movie.

* Nineteen years after the first ''Spy Kids'', Rodriguez's direct-to-Creator/{{Netflix}} superhero movie ''Film/WeCanBeHeroes2020'' would present a similar premise -- a Latin-American crimefighter's offspring frees him from captivity -- with an even more diverse cast. It managed to become Netflix's most-streamed movie for more than one day, boosted by [[Creator/PedroPascal the crimefighter's actor]]'s star power and nostalgia for Rodriguez's past family pictures.

* Nineteen years after the first ''Spy Kids'', Robert Rodriguez would helm Creator/{{Netflix}}'s ''Film/WeCanBeHeroes2020'', a superhero movie with a similar premise -- a Latin-American crimefighter's offspring frees him from captivity -- and an even more diverse cast. It managed to become Netflix's most-streamed movie for more than one day, boosted by [[Creator/PedroPascal the crimefighter's actor]]'s star power and nostalgia for Rodriguez's past family pictures.

* ‘’WesternAnimation/SeisManos'' was Powerhouse Animation's first original series following the very well received ‘’WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017''. However, unlike ''Castlevania'', ''Seis Manos'' drew on Mexican culture and a Mexican setting for its series. Also unlike ''Castlevania'', the show suffered from very low viewership and conversations with the showrunners (particularly during a 2020 New York Comic Con panel) seem to indicate that the one season is all that will be made.

[[AC: Web Original]]

** While the [[Film/TheLastAirbender live action movie]] kept the FarEast cultural inspiration, it mixed up some of the races. The Japanese-like Fire Nation became a mix of Indians, Middle Easterners and Polynesians, while the blue-eyed and dark skinned Water Tribe became a mix of white lead actors and Inuit extras.

* This is a major reason why Creator/{{Christopher Priest|Comics}} took a decade-long hiatus from writing for Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} or Creator/{{DC|Comics}}. Despite the fact that he previously had a lengthy career writing titles as varied as ''SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}'', ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League Task Force]]'', and ''Franchise/GreenLantern'', his tenures on titles like ''Comicbook/{{Steel}}'' and his historic ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'' run thoroughly pigeonholed him as a "black" writer. He has mentioned that it became difficult to find work on any non-minority titles, and that being offered a ''[[ComicBook/TheFalcon Falcon]]'' solo book was ultimately the straw that broke the camel's back.

* ''Film/GetOut2017'' was seen as a long shot, as it was an indie horror film about race, starred a [[Creator/DanielKaluuya largely-unknown]] (at least in the U.S.) actor as the lead, and was director Jordan Peele's first movie. It opened at #1 at the box office and garnered rave reviews, and went on to gross $252 million dollars against a meager 5 million dollar budget.

* ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', which has a very African setting and only two white actors in the main cast, was released to rave reviews and a higher opening than the first installment of any other solo MCU movie series, going on to break Marvel Studios' top three largest-grossing movies worldwide. Domestically, it became the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time, not adjusting for inflation. Then it became the first superhero genre film to be nominated for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards, and the first MCU film to win any Oscars at all.[[note]]Specifically, it claimed Best Costumes, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.[[/note]]