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Entertainment Weekly & ABC 2013 New York Upfront Party

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 14: (L-R) Actor Guillermo Diaz and Actress Kerry Washington attend the Entertainment Weekly & ABC 2013 New York Upfront Party at The General on May 14, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Jennifer Graylock/WireImage)

Once upon a time, mainstream TV was whitewashed with just a teeny sprinkling of color. Now, one of the largest networks, the American Broadcasting Company, will begin next season with a primetime lineup that will look a lot more like the real America, including shows with black, Latin and Asian leads, reports the New York Daily News.

“We wanted to reflect the changing face of America…We think it’s time. This is the right thing to do,” said ABC Entertainment Group President Paul Lee.

Two of the network’s upcoming shows will have black leads. The sitcom “Black-ish” will feature film stars Laurence Fishburne (pictured second from right),  Anthony Anderson (pictured top row, third from left) and TV veteran Tracee Ellis Ross (pictured top row second from left).  The program is an exploration of roots and cultural identity for a successful black professional. Academy Award nominated actress Viola Davis will star in the drama, “How to Get Away with Murder.”  Davis will assume the role of a law professor, who involves her elite law school students in real-life murder cases.

SEE ALSO: Join Hundreds Of Black Bloggers In New York City For Blogging While Brown 2014!

Mexican-Americans will also be represented on the small screen in the sitcom, “Cristela,” starring stand-up comedienne Cristela Alonzo, who plays an American Latina law student straddling cultures while not fully belonging to either.

Finally, in the sitcom “Selfie,” “Harold & Kumar” Asian actor John Cho, plays a self-assured marketing expert, who decides to “re-market” a friend.

If that wasn’t significant, the mega-network already has two monstrously successful hit shows with diverse casting, “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Kudos to ABC for recognizing that color can brighten up any landscape!