An exclusive source close to Married to Medicine LA has revealed that Bravo is looking into canceling the show. Many enthusiasts are wondering what the meaning behind the cancelation is especially if the show was hit with fans and is one of the only shows that features an all-black cast. The show originally premiered as an extra episode of the parent series of Married to Medicine back in March 2019.
Much like the first franchise, the series recorded the lives of six women who were entrenched in the medical world in Los Angeles. The cast was made up of Dr. Britten Cole, Dr. Imani Walker, Dr. Noelle Reid, Asha Kamali-Blankinship, and Shanique Drummond, with Jazmin Johnson making her appearance as a friend. During season 2, Dr. Kendra Segura and Lia Dias joined the cast after Dr. Reid and Kamali-Blankinship left.
According to Screen Rant’s source, Married to Medicine LA was supposed to begin filming for season 3 on September 1 but due to COVID-19 restrictions, the production was pushed back. But what seemed to upset the cast the most was the fact that as of November 4 the cast was informed that the show was actually facing possible cancellation. According to the source, “No warning. No communication. No coaching” was given.
To dive even further, the source questioned why there had been a total “lack of support” for the network’s African-American talent. Many fans are aware that new shows usually are given a lead show by the network, one that is popular to ensure the success of the new launch. For example, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs at 10 p.m. right behind the always-popular Real Housewives of Orange County. The source revealed that Married to Medicine LA was never given a chance to compete because they were denied a lead show claiming the move “had a negative effect on our ratings.” The informant went on to say that they had been told that they were to follow The Real Housewives of Potomac but it “never happened.” It was also noted that as the network brought in two new women, they were not given a proper introduction like other Bravo celebrities were often provided saying, “When you see new cast members of other shows being introduced and promoted with a lot of strategy and effort it makes me wonder why they didn’t get that same introduction to the viewers.”
For many, the medical part of Married to Medicine LA is not the main interest of the show like its counterparts, it is about the drama that ensues over the course of a season.
“It’s the relationships and the successful lifestyles that I think people tune in to see. I think the relationships we have with one another and the success that we all have personally and professionally are important stories that need to be told. Dr. Drummond has a booming concierge medical service, Lia has a multimillion-dollar business, Britten and her husband have a successful real estate company... viewers want to see that!”
The viewpoint is not wrong since many of the network’s viewers have made it perfectly clear that they would like to see women, especially African-American women, thrive and feature their success and accomplishments.
But the question remains, does Bravo show a lack of support for the African-American casts? The network itself has already seen a reckoning and backlash, thanks to some of their other shows which consisted of predominantly white cast members. Vanderpump Rules faces cancelation after losing Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute due to their racist comments they made about a fellow star, Faith Stowers. Kelly Dodd from RHOC is facing possibly being fired after fans have called for her removal over her lack of empathy for the Black Lives Matter movement. Bravo in its early stages and past years have not necessarily been one for inclusiveness. Most of the franchises were cast with predominately white housewives and this has started to be called into question. Not only have fans loudly asked about their casting procedures even the Bravo celebrities themselves have voiced their concerns. This year, Bravo did announce that it will be adding an African-American cast member to RHONY and already welcomed the first African-American cast member, Garcelle Beauvais, to RHOBH. This small step, however good, still needs to become a much larger leap if the network hopes to keep viewers and address the concerns that both talent and fans have mentioned.