Khandi Alexander's character will be DOA on CSI Miami next fall according to TV Guide. This is troubling not only because Khandi has real range as an actress (who can forget her as a crack head in HBO's The Corner) but because she is yet another one of us who is disappearing from the small screen. 
Never mind that she has spent the last few years talking to dead bodies (what a waste). But even then she tried to breathe life into an incomplete character by showing compassion in tragic situations. But relegating the sister to the morgue is actually becoming a troubling trend of its own with Tamara Tunie (Law & Order SVU) and Paula Newsome (Women's Murder Club) in similar roles. I guess since housekeeper/maid isn't politically correct these days, handling dead bodies is the next best thing. It's another job most people don't want in real life either.
I must confess that I tuned out all the procedural dramas because they seem to offer more of the same week in and week out. But it was nice to know that Khandi was still going strong with Horatio Cane & company. I never thought I would start counting the number of black women with roles in hour-long dramatic shows (we already know our comedic options have gotten slimmer—thank God Vanessa Williams knows how to chew up the scenery in Ugly Betty).
I think part of the reason that I am sad to see Khandi go is that she looks like a regular sister. But Hollywood doesn't really know what to do with actresses who look like people we see walking down the street. Instead they rely on real-life characters or should I say, carricatures like Omarosa to bring the drama. Obviously its working for someone because she keeps turning up like a bad penny. Cable used to fill the void with more diverse opportunities for black actresses but even they seem to be drying up. It's time to stem the tide before we disappear altogether.
