77 of 200 Top TV and Streaming Series of 2023-24 Earn ReFrame Stamp for Gender Balance

Sundance Film Festival

United States (USA)

IMDbPro and ReFrame, an initiative led by the Sundance Institute and Women In Film (WIF), have recognized 77 of the 200 most popular scripted television and streaming series of the 2023-24 season with the ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced hiring practices. Among the awardees are critically acclaimed and Emmy-nominated series such as "Abbott Elementary," "The Bear," and "Fallout." These 77 series account for 38.5% of the top 200 scripted series, indicating a notable decline in gender-equitable hiring—a drop of 8.5% from the previous year and 20% from the peak in 2020-21.

The ReFrame TV Stamp was introduced in 2018 to honor series that achieve at least 50% gender parity in key production roles, including showrunners, directors, writers, and department heads. The initiative further recognizes productions that prioritize the hiring of women of color and those that achieve overall gender parity across their crews. This year’s results highlight both the successes and setbacks in the industry’s journey toward gender equity.

Keri Putnam and Cathy Schulman, founders of ReFrame, expressed mixed sentiments regarding this year’s data. "ReFrame is thrilled to congratulate the 77 series that achieved equity in their hiring this year. However, 38.5% of series reaching this benchmark falls far short of the 100% fair hiring standard we should all aspire to," they stated. The ongoing decline, they noted, poses a threat to the progress made over the past several years. If the current trend continues, they warned, the gains in diversifying the media landscape could be erased within two years.

Kirsten Schaffer, CEO of WIF and ReFrame Council Member, pointed to broader industry challenges that have disproportionately affected women. "The contraction in the business resulted in 204 fewer episodes across the Top 200 series than in prior years analyzed. This should impact writers and directors equally...but this year’s findings suggest that women are disproportionately impacted and demands further study."

The report also underscored that the representation of women in lead roles has dropped by 13% compared to last year, now standing at 41%. Additionally, there is a persistent gender gap in pilot writing and directing roles, with men consistently occupying the majority of these positions. Despite these setbacks, the report noted some gains, particularly in roles like line producers, directors of photography, and composers, although women and gender-diverse individuals still hold fewer than 20% of these positions overall.

In a promising sign, all 13 series in the top 200 that are showrun by women of color received the ReFrame Stamp, highlighting the correlation between diverse leadership and gender-balanced hiring practices. Moreover, streaming services continue to lead in gender equity, with 59 of the 77 Stamped series being released on platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

The ReFrame Report provides a comprehensive analysis of gender and hiring practices within the industry and includes a company report card, which tracks the performance of different distributors in achieving gender balance. The report also offers actionable resources for studios and distributors to implement equitable hiring practices.

ReFrame’s ongoing efforts, supported by partners like IMDbPro and Netflix, aim to foster a more inclusive and equitable industry. However, the decline in gender-balanced series serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that remain in achieving lasting equity in television and streaming production.

List of awardees:

• "Abbott Elementary" / Hulu
• "Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake" / Max
• "Ahsoka" / Disney+
• "A Man in Full" / Netflix
• "American Horror Story" / Hulu
• "A Murder at the End of the World" / Hulu
• "Baby Reindeer" / Netflix
• "Based on a True Story" / Peacock
• "Black Cake" / Hulu
• "Blue Eye Samurai" / Netflix
• "Bodies" / Netflix
• "Cruel Summer" / Freeform
• "Deadloch" / Amazon Prime
• "Death and Other Details" / Hulu
• "Dr. Death" / Peacock
• "Echo" / Disney+
• "Elsbeth" / Paramount+
• "Expats" / Amazon Prime
• "Extraordinary" / Hulu
• "Fallout" / Amazon Prime
• "Fellow Travelers" / Paramount+
• "Found" / Peacock
• "Gen V" / Amazon Prime
• "Girls5eva" / Netflix
• "Grey’s Anatomy" / Hulu
• "Griselda" / Netflix
• "Hacks" / Max
• "Harlan Coben’s Shelter" / Amazon Prime
• "Harley Quinn" / Max
• "Hazbin Hotel" / Amazon Prime
• "Heartbreak High" / Netflix
• "Invasion" / Apple TV
• "Julia" / Max
• "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" / Paramount+
• "Lessons in Chemistry" / Apple TV
• "Minx" / Starz
• "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" / Apple TV
• "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" / Amazon Prime
• "My Adventures with Superman" / Max
• "My Life with the Walter Boys" / Netflix
• "Never Have I Ever" / Netflix
• "One Day" / Netflix
• "Painkiller" / Netflix
• "Physical" / Apple TV
• "Quantum Leap" / Bravo
• "Renegade Nell" / Disney+
• "Reservation Dogs" / Hulu
• "Sex Education" / Netflix
• "Special Ops: Lioness" / Paramount+
• "Star Trek: Discovery" / Paramount+
• "Star Trek: Lower Decks" / Paramount+
• "Sweet Magnolias" / Netflix
• "The Artful Dodger" / Hulu
• "The Baxters" / Amazon Prime
• "The Bear" / Hulu
• "The Buccaneers" / Apple TV
• "The Changeling" / Apple TV
• "The Cleaning Lady" / Hulu
• "The Horror of Dolores Roach" / Amazon Prime
• "The Lincoln Lawyer" / Netflix
• "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" / Amazon Prime
• "Them" / Amazon Prime
• "The Morning Show" / Apple TV
• "The Summer I Turned Pretty" / Amazon Prime
• "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" / Peacock
• "The Walking Dead: Dead City" / AMC+
• "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" / AMC
• "The Wheel of Time" / Amazon Prime
• "The Witcher" / Netflix
• "True Detective" / Max
• "Under the Bridge" / Hulu
• "Virgin River" / Netflix
• "We Were the Lucky Ones" / Hulu
• "What We Do in the Shadows" / Hulu
• "Wilderness" / Amazon Prime
• "Will Trent" / Hulu

This year, additional scripted series outside the top 200 also applied for and received the ReFrame Stamp, demonstrating broader commitment across the industry. Notable series include "SKYMED" (CBS), "Station 19" (ABC), "The Ms. Pat Show" (BET+), and "The Other Black Girl" (Hulu).