'Bob Hearts Abishola': Yet another Chuck Lorre sitcom looks like it will fail the Bechdel test
Chuck Lorre and the Bechdel Test have quite a turbulent relationship. Certainly, the man known as the creator of shows like 'Two and a Half Men' and 'The Big Bang Theory' cannot be expected to pay much heed to a very basic test that checks whether the female characters in fiction are written with more than just the male characters in mind. The Bechdel Test was created by Allison Bechdel in her 1985 comic, 'Dykes to Watch Out For.' There are three rules to know whether a movie/TV show/book passes the test: 1) two female characters 2) who talk to each other 3) about something other than a male character. Certainly, passing the Bechdel test is only the bare minimum requirement to ensure there is no gender bias, but it is a starting point.
'Two and a Half Men' unsurprisingly did not pass the test, 'The Big Bang Theory' did not initially, but with the addition of characters such as Amy and Bernadette as regulars from season 4 changed that - their additions also helped the show develop its male characters. The one Chuck Lorre show that passes the test with flying colors is 'Mom' starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney as mother-daughter duo, Christy and Bonnie Plunkett, who are both single mothers and recovering addicts.
With 'Bob Hearts Abishola', Lorre wanted to tell the story of immigrants "who make America great" - and the show is one of the most diverse additions to television, featuring America's first Nigerian-immigrant family on television. Even though two episodes might be too early to judge, so far, the show has taken a two-step-forwards-one-step-backward approach. It does not pass the Bechdel test. Abishola's conversations with her aunt or her friends revolve around Bob or her son or the husband she's separated from. Diverse representation needs to be inclusive and needs to be nuanced. Just including people of color and women in the cast, with no respect shown to their character development or lines does not help the inclusion dialogue. Chuck Lorre needs to do better.
Having Gina Yashere as one of the executive producers helps (the other three are men) but it is not enough - not in a show where half of the characters are Nigerian and half the characters are women. Chuck Lorre sitcoms generally do well and we can expect the show to go beyond its first season. But the producers and writers need to do more if Lorre truly wants to tell the stories of immigrants faithfully.
