'Blackish,' 'Snowfall' heads on COVID-19 hurting TV diversity

The coronavirus crisis has turned all of Hollywood upside down, and the hoped-for return to even a small degree of normalcy remains uncertain. “I really want people to feel things, to reexamine the world around them,” says John Ridley, creator of ABC’s “American Crime” and an Oscar winner for “12 Years a Slave.” John Ridley, Oscar-winning screenwriter of “12 Years A Slave”; creator of ABC’s “American Crime”; director of “Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982 to 1992” John Ridley has gravitated toward projects that have sharply probed racially charged issues such as discrimination, immigration and class disparity. Robert Townsend, actor/filmmaker, director of “The Five Heartbeats” and the documentary “Making ‘The Five Heartbeats’” Robert Townsend doesn’t waste time when asked about how he’s handing the pandemic personally and creatively. “I’m taking a holistic approach, reading up on things to make me healthier,” said Townsend, whose 1987 comedy “Hollywood Shuffle” was a milestone for independent black cinema. He’s also directing episodes of “The Last O.G.” with Tracy Morgan and the CW superhero series “Black Lightning.” “So many ideas are coming into my brain right now,” Townsend said.