"I wouldn't mind knowing a little more about Fin… I've never been home. I don't have a car. I don't even know if I've kissed a girl in 13 years."
Hah! The dilemma of many a black stock character in TV and film – from the sidekick, to the Magical Negro, the BBF, and more – we tend to not know much about their own personal lives, as if they have none; they exist almost solely to serve the lead (usually white) fully realized character.
That's a quote from Ice-T about the character he's long played on Law & Order: SVU on NBC (Fin), which airs tonight at 10/9c. In tonight's episode, Fin come to terms with his son's homosexuality when his partner is the victim of a hate crime.
I used to be a HUGE L&O fan, from the original series, to all the extensions, including SVU and CI. I especially loved CI. But I haven't watched an episode of any of them in years. Although, to be fair, I haven't watched much TV in the last 4 or 5 years.
And there were times when I did wonder about the personal lives of some of these characters – not only the black characters – since the shows tend to be so focused on the procedural aspect that drives them; especially the original series. So it's not just Fin that we don't have much background info on.
The question being asked now is whether or not the show will be renewed for another season, given that nothing has yet to be announced officially. Showrunner Warren Leight does tell TV Guide that if it is indeed renewed, expect boundaries to be pushed even further, with season-long arcs for the entire cast, delving into their individual backgrouns… including Fin 🙂
"It's the annual sit-down between NBC and Dick Wolf. This goes into a category of things beyond my control… I believe the show will come back and there are just business deals that need to be worked out between people whose pay grade is above mine," said Leight.
Who's still watching?
UPDATE: It looks like just as I was typing this up, news broke that NBC has indeed renewed the series for another season. So maybe Ice-T will get his wish 🙂
