ABC's Success With Diversity Comes From Focusing on Creators, Not Just Star

ABC has changed mainstream television's diversity makeup more than any of its broadcast counterparts in recent years, and executives say the commitment is paying off not just in ratings, but also in quality.

Already seeing success with shows like "Scandal", "How to Get Away with Murder", "Black-ish" and "Cristela", which star a variety of minority actors and have brought underrepresented perspectives to prime-time, the network will soon add midseason series "Fresh off the Boat" (prime time's first Asian-American sitcom since Margaret Cho's "All American Girl" in 1994) and "American Crime" (created by "12 Years a Slave" scriptwriter John Ridley). "I think it's our job to reflect America," said ABC entertainment president Paul Lee. "I really believed from the beginning that the demographic changes in America were just as important to our revolution as the technological changes."