All else being equal, you could be right, but the problem is that it's probably not equal. There's more involved than with your typical cast-change situation. It seems as if some of the higher-ups at FOX may have been uncomfortable with a show having so many people of color in the cast and introduced changes to shift the ratio more toward white cast members both in terms of number and amount of screen time, and it's been speculated that this may have been a factor in Nicole Beharie's desire to leave the show. If that is the case, I feel that behavior shouldn't be rewarded by my continuing to watch the show.
Granted, though, at the moment, three of the four announced cast members are nonwhite. So I'm not really sure what to make of the situation. I suspect there's a tension between producers who want to cast more diversely and executives who are pushing back against that. But if that tension is the reason we've lost Deputy Andy and Captain Irving and Leftenant Mills and had Hawley and Betsy Ross foisted on us, then the wrong side seems to be coming out ahead on points.
