ICONS; One of the first shows to feature an all-Black ensemble cast

BY SYDNEE WALCOTT

The digital landscape has changed dramatically since the rise of viral media and content creation. ICONS, an upcoming Canadian satire comedy series, touches on these two topics.

Taking cues from media outlets like: TMZ, WorldStarHipHop and The Shade Room, ICONS, created by local content creator and BlogTO video journalist Taylor Patterson with the help of TV Writer Brandon Hackett (Made for TV, This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Director Justin Wu (Kim’s Convenience, Run The Burbs), highlights how journalism experienced a tremendous shift from producing content documented with journalistic integrity to the production of clickbait journalism. What also played a role in the change was the audience beginning to have more in common with racy publications than they did with the subjects and celebrities that were being covered.

The upcoming satire comedy features an all-Black ensemble cast and will mainly follow a group of egocentric and inept characters who work at The Buzz, a racy and problematic digital news publication, and how they cover stories within the city of Toronto for exposure and clicks. They spin stories and take advantage of who they cover in order to better themselves. Sometimes, the characters idolize celebrities and wish they were celebrities themselves receiving attention.

Although the show is mainly a satire and a commentary on the current state of the world and the ethics of journalism, the show also speaks about the intersection of being Black and what it means in the media. A lot of episodes will touch on a story that already exists in the real world and see what it would look like in the Black community.

For example, the Hawk Tuah Girl, Hailey Welch, became famous worldwide and got a podcast. There’s curiosity surrounding what the character would look like if she was Black and if she would’ve received the same exposure and if it would’ve turned into a career opportunity for her.

Another example will be basketball players Caitlin Clarke and Angel Reese. Both are incredible athletes with the same skill level. However, the media portrays both of them differently. Clarke, who is White, is put on a pedestal as an amazing prodigy, while the media labels Reese, who is Black, as aggressive and confrontational.

The show will also cover what it means to be biracial and the hypocrisies within the Black community. One common issue is how being biracial only suits the Black community positively.

“Overall, there’s no right answer. It’s all about asking questions and talking about things we rarely discuss while adding a touch of satire.”

Being a biracial person who looks more racially ambiguous, Patterson will portray an elevated version of himself and speak to a lot of the biracial elements in the show. His character is clinging to his Black identity and wants to be seen more as a Black person.

The show will also cover other angles, where different archetypes and stereotypes on what it means to be Black and break away from the media’s portrayal of Black culture being portrayed in only one light. An example will be one character who is a very educated Black woman who is concerned about being portrayed as the ‘angry/difficult Black woman.’ The character will often look to be politically correct, but it does more harm than good as it works against her because she’s trying to be a version of herself that does not represent who truly she is.

If the show goes into production, ICONS will be one of the first shows to feature an all-Black ensemble cast. Patterson said it would mean a lot and quite the responsibility to do it correctly.

“I hope we can be that milestone that people can look towards and encourage other people from marginalized communities to create shows and show that it’s possible,” said Patterson.