The Token Black Guy in 90210?!

For those who are interested in television drama's, there has been very few shows that has generated as much hype as the new 90210 series. Set to debut on September 2, the show has some rather huge shoes to fill by taking on the title 90210. What's gathering a lot of publicity is the return of older characters, but what's also creating a bit of a buzz is the black adopted child Dixon Wilson played by Tristan Wilds. Tristan has played in earlier shows like the wire and was given praise for his performance. But some in the black community had complaints towards the character as being the "token black guy" in the cast. Some complaints were due to the fact that he was adopted by a white family, instead of being with a black family. Some blame it on the fact that you do not see black characters as main characters on drama, action, or suspense television shows.


From my personal perspective, I'm am definitely interested in Triston's character. I definitely disagree with the "white savior" mentality solely based on the fact that quite a few caucasian parents adopt black children. I knew a co-worker when I was in the USN who was adopted by caucasian parents, and truly saw them as her parents, not her birth parents. So to bring that perspective to television will be new and exciting, as I cannot recall to this day a television show where a caucasian parent had an minority child. What's even more exceptional is that they are truly stepping away from the stereotypical black young male. He's not a thug that speaks ebonics no matter what situation he is and does horrible in school. He's a preppy young male that is a star athelete in lacross. I for one welcome this change as a significant step in the right direction to provide an alternative side to what is shown in the media.

What also makes a first is that Triston is the Main Role/Character in a drama, something rarely (if ever) seen before in a television drama. I believe that this will give him a huge amount of time on the screen and won't make him appear as just a side character.

Lastly, Triston is pulling in fans that usually do not watch these type of shows. Many posts on the IMDB boards state that they are watching the show because of Triston and his character Dixon. The producers definitely took a step in the right direction with this decision.

Overall, I am very excited about this show. If the writing is as good as the older show, than we might have a hit on our hands, and hopefully this will show to other producers that audience of America is perfectly fine with having a minority as one of the star roles in a drama.