Box Checking 

A term used to describe how shows/movies make sure to have a variety of characters in their cast, often at the expense of realism. The list of boxes that need to be checked off normally includes people of different races, religions, sexual orientation, etc that are made sure to be included in hopes of reaching a broader audience. This tendency is normally used to appeal to the left by including gays, people of color, and other minorities so as not to appear biased towards straight whites, which dominated media culture in previous decades. However it's not uncommon to appeal to the right as well by including characters that are more conservative, white, and more adherent to the previous standards. The point being that all of the boxes need to be checked in order for a modern show to be aired, often resulting in a hilarious lineup/combination of characters that would normally not be seen together in real life.

"Have you seen that new TV show on Fox?" Sam asked Jenny.
"Ugh, no way, to much box checking. We're just expected to believe that a white redneck and a black rap star are best friends living with a gay Chinese couple in the middle of Salt Lake City?" Jenny replied.

Box Checking by anonymous January 6, 2021