LOS ANGELES — When Ava DuVernay launched "Queen Sugar" on the OWN Network in 2016, she hired only women as directors — a practice she's continued through six seasons of the Louisiana-set family drama.
About 17% of TV episodes from the 2015-16 season were directed by women, according to statistics from the Directors Guild of America, so she wanted to give directing opportunities to accomplished women who were still struggling to get work. A more recent DGA report shows improvement: Women made up 34% of the directors of the 2019-20 season.
Historically, network television was seen as creatively limiting, compared with film. But now, especially with the rise of streaming, television is not only widely respected but also where most of the job opportunities are.
