By Luis Reyes
With diversity and inclusion now on the radar of broadcast television network executives, advertisers and viewing audiences, programming that is reflective of American society seems to be what broadcast TV executives had in mind when ordering their 2019/20 pilots for this season.
With the success of shows like the CW’s Jane the Virgin, NBC’s Superstore (America Ferrera), and integrating of Latino leads in shows like FOX’s (Now on NBC) Brooklyn Nine Nine (Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero), the word is out that hiring Latinos is good for business.
In addition, the casting of Latino actors in non-traditional roles, as fully developed characters that are part of the American scene, is an idea that has been a long time in coming and is reflected well in the following pilots.
This pilot season Latino actors are snagging more lead roles in more high profile pilots and TV Show spin-offs.
Smits Returns Leads in NBC’s Bluff City Law
Emmy award-winning actor Jimmy Smits returns to series television starring as Memphis lawyer Elijah Strait who along with his daughter Sydney Keller (Caitlin McGee) specializes in civil rights cases in the NBC one hour legal drama pilot Bluff City Law.
Michael Aguilar serves as Executive producer of Bay City Law along with creator and executive producer Dean Georgans and David Janollari.
Smits whose TV career was launched when he starred for as Victor Sifuentes on LA Law has had an impressive television career with other TV show including NYPD Blue and The West Wing, where he played Matthew Vincente Santos, the first Latino to become president of the U.S. His film roles include Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
Smits is repped by Sarah Clossey at the United Talent Agency
The “Virgin” Lives On At the CW
Jacqueline Grace Lopez (East Los High) has been cast as the lead of the new CW’s Jane The Virgin spinoff pilot show entitled Jane the Novela written by Valentina Garza and to be directed by Brad Silberling. The one-hour anthology series will be executive produced by Jane The Virgin creator Jennie Snyder Urman, Ben Silverman and Gina Rodriguez.
Continuing the “telenovela” them Jane the Novela each season will be based on a different “novela” written by Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez’s character in Jane the Virgin)
The pilot episode of Jane the Novela takes place in the Napa Valley where Jane (Lopez), following in the “novela” tradition is a young twenty-something who is torn between her boyfriend and a handsome rich guy.
Lopez honed her acting chops on Hulu’s East Los High, a web series created by Carlos Portugal which gave much of the young Latino talent you see now booking leads roles, their first opportunity. Lopez is repped by Kevin Turner at Daniel Hoff Agency, Matt Rosen at SGSBC, and Commercial Talent Agency.
Jane the Virgin Spinoff for Jaime Camil
CBS has added a late pilot order for the multi-camera comedy which will star and be executive produced by actor Jaime Camil who is currently seen as Rogelio in the CW’s Jane the Virgin. Alex Herschlag (Will & Grace), is the writer
Produced by Jennie Snyder Urman’s (Jane the Virgin) Sutton Street Productions and Ben Silverman Propagate, the executive producing team also includes Herschlag, Guillermo Restrepo, Gonzalo Cilley and Maria Lucia Hernandez Frieri.
The comedy series will revolve around a wealthy trust-fund couple whose money pipeline is cut off by the father. The couple is then relegated to living with an estranged sister in her condo in Reseda, California.
Camil is represented by Christine Holder of Zero Gravity Management.
E.J. Bonilla Leads in Until The Wedding
E. J. Bonilla, who played the wisecracking Detective Danny Padilla on the final season of A&E’s Unforgettable is set as the male lead opposite Olivia Thrilby in ABC’s Until The Wedding, a one hour romantic drama pilot based on an Israeli TV show format. Until The Wedding will explore the intimate relationships of a group of friends and family as Adrienne (Thrilby) and Danny (Bonilla) are forced to reckon with their own romantic lives and careers. Becky Mode wrote the pilot and producers are Sarah Timberman Carl Beverly and Alon Aranya. Bonilla will be seen in the upcoming New Line / DC/Vertigo crime comic series film, The Kitchen with Melissa McCarthy.
Bonilla is repped by Jaime Misher at Innovative Artist
Velez Back on New York Undercover
Luna Lauren Velez will reprise her role as Detective Nina Moreno in a new ABC reboot pilot of the Dick Wolf’s original 1990’s New York cop drama series New York Undercover where she starred alongside Michael de Lorenzo and Malik Yorba. New York Undercover broke new ground in the 90’s as the first police drama on U.S. television to feature two American Latinos and an African-American in starring roles. Wolf serves as producer along with Universal TV and ABC Studios.
Velez’s most recently voiced the role of Miles Morales’s mother in the Oscar winning animated feature, Spider Man: Into The Spider Verse. Velez has extensive film and television including seven seasons on Showtime’s hit show Dexter.
Velez is repped by Estelle Lasher of the Lasher Group out of New York
Gomez & Vidal on ABC’s The Baker and The Beauty
Carlos Gomez (Law & Order: True Crime The Menendez Murders) and Lisa Vidal (Being Mary Jane) will join Dan Bucatinsky (Second Act) as series regulars in the ABC comedy pilot The Baker and The Beauty. Set in Miami, the romantic comedy is the story of a young Cuban-American baker Danny Garcia (Bucatinsky), who falls in love with an international superstar. Gomez portrays the family patriarch and owner of the bakery along with his wife Mari played by Vidal and a young daughter played by newcomer Belissa Escobedo. The young actress is an alumnus of the ABC Discover Showcase that promotes diverse young talent. The series adaptation is from Dean Georgaris and Dave Frankel.
For all the new shows, there is the hurdle of being picked up for a full season. It is hoped that these television shows and their casts fill out the fall 2019 Network Broadcast schedules and make it as successful long running series.