News

It might’ve been a Tuesday night in Hollywood, but the “Boomerang” cast, crew and exec. producer Lena Waithe were ready to celebrate “Waithe Wednesdays” at the Bet drama’s second season premiere.

“It’s a beautiful time, you know,” Waithe told Variety at the event’s green carpet, speaking to press for the third time in just over a week, after the events celebrating her role on HBO’s “Westworld” and her new Bet series “Twenties,” which debuted on the network March 4 with nearly two million viewers tuning in.

Speaking of “Twenties’” impressive bow, Waithe said, “To me, what the 2 million viewers meant was that society really showed us that they’re ready. They’re ready to step into this new chapter where intersectionality is not, you know, abnormal, but it is the norm. And I really felt that love and that support.”

And with “Boomerang,” Waithe and her...

Just six months ago, GLAAD released a study showcasing that Lgbtq+ representation had reached a record highs on television. Yet there is so much more to the conversation than simply seeing a character from that community on-screen: What storylines they get to explore and, to a degree, who is portraying them, is even more important.

“I just want to see a show about gay men living, laughing and f—ing — just living our lives, and it’s not all about our trauma,” said “Special” creator and star Ryan O’Connell at a “Writing Lgbtqia Love and Romance on TV” panel presented by the Television Academy’s Writers Peer Group on Tuesday.

O’Connell’s show, which is semi-autobiographical, centers on a character who is gay and has cerebral palsy, but who “just wants the basics [in life]: a boyfriend, a good relationship with his mom, a job where he’s valued,...