Parents' Guide to Soapdish

Diverse Representations

A transgender character, Montana (played by a cisgender woman), is villainized as a scheming and manipulative woman with no redeeming features. When other characters find out she's trans, they publicly out her on TV, humiliating her and implying that it's proof that she's deceptive. Characters make comments like "She's a boy!" and call her by her deadname. A man who was dating her makes gestures of revulsion. While other women have central roles, they're often sexualized, and men within the industry sexually harass them—it's normalized. A room of mostly male writers casually mention the rape of a woman as a potential storyline. A character jokes that a writer should give another character Bell's palsy to get her off the show, and there's mention of diagnosing a character with bipolar disorder to "make them crazy." A writer talks about another storyline and says, "a homeless deaf-mute, what could be more pathetic?" A White writer suggests a character should be kidnapped by "some Colored guys," but Black writer Rose calls him out on the racist trope. On a more positive note, the most likable, smart, and reasonable character is Rose—the only Black character, played by Whoopi Goldberg. Restaurant workers in service roles are Latino and argue loudly in Spanish.