REVIEW By Bel Hernandez Castillo

Leguizamo Does America is back for Season 2, and its return couldn’t be more timely. At a moment when harmful rhetoric and misinformation about Latinos is dominating headlines, this six-episode series flips the narrative. Instead of portraying Latinos as takers, Leguizamo Does America showcases what U.S. Latinos have always been: builders, innovators, and culture shapers. 

In these times the MSNBC TV series becomes more than a docuseries—it becomes an antidote, a cultural resistance providing visibility and celebration wrapped in a bold, funny, and fiercely loving package.

Leguizamo Does America, is an NBC News Studios and Casa NOHO Production, created and hosted by Emmy and Tony award-winning actor John Leguizamo. “For season two, I wanted to go deeper into America and put a magnifying glass on Latino exceptionalism, Latino ingenuity, and Latino genius,” says Leguizamo.

Under director Ben DeJesus guidance and the excellent production skills of showrunner Carolina Saavedra the audience is taken on a cultural journey of Latino excellence in six stunningly shot and powerful episodes filmed in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Denver, Phoenix, Raleigh, and San Antonio.  Leguizamo meets the artists, chefs, activists, and cultural entrepreneurs—who are making an undeniable impact across the U.S.

The opening episode takes us to Philadelphia, the birthplace of the USA where we learn of the major role Latinos played in the American Revolution. We find out the famous Philly cheesesteak has been Latinized and people are loving it…and literally “eating it up”.  

In Raleigh, North Carolina, home to Academy Award winning actress Ariana deBose, we learn, among other things, how immigrants were brought into the US by corporations to help save the poultry industry there; how the Flor de Hidalgo dance group is keeping Mexican folklorico alive — and giving Leguizamo the host, a change to show off his “zapateado”. This episode drives home the notion that whether honoring or correcting historical erasure, Latinos in America are living examples of what it means to own our story while shaping America’s future.

In San Antonio, we meet the Castros—Congressman Joaquin Castro and his mother Rosie Castro, a lifelong activist and community organizer who helped lay the groundwork for modern Chicano politics in San Antonio. We’re also introduced to Shelly Lares, the legendary Tejano artist whose career has not only been preserving traditional music but passing it on with a Tex Mex twist to new generations with pride and purpose.

In Phoenix, Leguizamo goes head to head with WNBA’s great Diana Taurasi in a round of “hoops”. While in Denver Leguizamo explores the birthplace of the Chicano Movement, while also suiting up for a “lucha libre” bout at Hugo’s Lucha Libre cultural landmark arena.

Throughout the series, we meet musicians, chefs, artists, and entrepreneurs who are not just surviving—but thriving. And let’s talk about the food. From Mexican carnitas  to Venezuelan arepas to Tex-Mex fajitas the series celebrates Latino culinary excellence. Several featured chefs are James Beard Award winners and nominees, further proving what we’ve always known—Latinos are impacting cuisine in a most delicious way.

Think about it: tomatoes, vanilla, avocados, chocolate —these and so many other staples of global food culture are gifts from the Americas, cultivated and cherished by Indigenous and Latin communities for centuries. Leguizamo Does America honors that legacy, and reminds us of the central role Latinos play in the culinary world globally.

This is part of our resistance showing Latin joy, Latin success, Latin excellence, Latin genius, Latin exceptionalism and innovation” — John Leguizamo.

The historical context, too, is essential. The episodes filmed in New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Antonio underscore that Latino roots in America run deep—long before the arrival of the European immigrants. These are not stories of outsiders or newcomers; these are stories of indigenous peoples and Latinos who helped build this nation.

At the recent MSNBC LA premiere for Leguizamo Does America, Leguizamo spoke to a who’s who of Hollywood executives, actors, directors, producers and executives about the upcoming series.  “This is part of our resistance showing Latin joy, Latin success, Latin excellence, Latin genius, Latin exceptionalism and innovation” he said. That is exactly what Leguizamo Does America does once again in season 2. The series shines an undeniable  bright light on a community that has been here longer than America itself. Latinos in the U.S. are 65 million strong, they are American and they are here to stay.

WHERE TO WATCH:

• MSNBC: The series airs on MSNBC on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. 
• Peacock: You can also stream the show on Peacock. 
• Roku: The Roku Channel offers access to the show, with options to buy episodes or watch through streaming services that carry MSNBC. 
• Other Streaming Services: Check platforms like Fubo, Sling TV, DIRECTV, Xumo Play, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video for availability. 

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MSNBC, the news-based television cable channel owned by the NBC Universal News Group division of NBCUniversal, has been lauded for its reputation for reporting of news, politics and commentary on topics that are tailormade for political news junkies. 

Recently, the cable channel has undergone a seismic shift that will showcase more minority programming.
Coinciding with the inauguration of Kamala Harris, the first woman of color serving as vice president of the United States, MSNBC named Rashida Jones, also a woman of color and an established news executive, to be president of MSNBC.

“I don’t know that any of us have fully comprehended the seismic shift that just occurred in news,” said Tiffany Cross, a producer and host who also has recently published her book, “Say It Louder! Black Voters, White Narratives and Saving Our Democracy.” 

“I think it catapults MSNBC light years ahead of the competition. MSNBC has a vision to create the look of America on and off the screen.”
Jones, who currently oversees dayside and weekend programming for MSNBC, will have two new shows featuring people of color premiering on the network’s weekend slots. 
One of those features Cross as an anchor. Premiering Saturday, Dec. 12 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Eastern time, will be “The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross”. Also premiering on Sunday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Eastern will be “The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart”. 

Cross and Capehart will join an established group of MSNBC hosts who continue to lead live weekend breaking news coverage and analysis, including Kendis Gibson, Lindsey Reiser, Ali Velshi, Alex Witt, Yasmin Vossoughian, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Richard Lui, Alicia Menendez and Joshua Johnson.
The shows, which will be replacing Joy Reid’s “AM Joy” Saturday and Sunday slots, will have MSNBC’s hard-hitting, politically based commentary.

“Jonathan Capehart has been a longtime member of the MSNBC family, and his steadfast dedication to great journalism, along with Tiffany Cross’ fresh expert analysis, offer our MSNBC weekend morning audience the best of both worlds from two very different life and worldview experiences,” said MSNBC President Phil Griffin, for whom Jones will take over on Feb. 1.
Cross, who is a frequent MSNBC guest host, boasts impressive credentials. 
She’s a 2020 Resident Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics and served as the D.C. Bureau Chief for BET Networks, according to her website www.tiffanydcross.com. 
Additionally, she was an Associate Producer for CNN, has worked on the campaign trail and co-founded The Beat DC, a widely read, critically acclaimed platform. And now, is she thrilled about the prospect of having her own groundbreaking show. 
“I’m very excited to join the landscape at this time,” Cross said in an exclusive interview with EUR’s Lee Bailey. “We have a new administration coming in where Black women have ascended to senior levels of government and also to the most senior levels of news, including Rashida Jones being promoted to President of MSNBC, so it really feels like a unique convergence of our sheer determination through the decades of being recognized. No one really gave us these things; we’ve earned them.”
Capehart, who will take over Joy Reid’s Sunday “AM Joy” timeslot, with “The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart,” was asked how he felt about a show being named after him.
“I can’t believe it,” Capehart told Bailey. “It’s one of those things, you know when you’re a little kid, and you have these dreams of what you want to be when you grow up and your dreams change over and over and over again. 
I’ve known basically since I was 10 that this is what I wanted to do, and specifically having my own television show (was one of them). And to actually have it happen is something that I spent the last few weeks wrapping my head around. I’m still coming to grips that my dream is now coming true.”
Capehart is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a member of the Washington Post Editorial Board. He writes about politics and social issues and hosts the “Cape Up” podcast. As an MSNBC contributor, he also serves as a substitute anchor. He admits that coming up with his show’s name wasn’t as easy as he’d thought it would be.
“It wasn’t so much an obvious choice because my husband and I and even my Mom got into the act of trying to come up with names,” Capehart said. “In the middle of the night, with my mind racing with all these things, I kept thinking, well, what I want to do — I’m playing in this Sunday show space and what I want to do is sort of a different take on Sunday shows.

Suddenly he had a revelation. “Why don’t I just call it The Sunday Show?” he said with a laugh. “And so, I pitched it, and thank God, no one else had it.”
The importance of being a minority host isn’t lost on Capehart. Branding will play an essential role in the success of the show as well. 
“What I love about the name is that it tells you exactly the kind of show you’re going to be watching,” he said. “On Sunday, people are watching ‘Meet the Press,’ ‘Face the Nation,’ ‘This Week,’ ‘The Lead,’ and we’re going to be playing in that same space.” 
Most of the consumers who watch Sunday political shows are political junkies, according to Capehart. He hopes to capitalize on that trend. 
“What they (consumers) come to us for is context,” said Capehart. “Why is a certain story important, and how does it fit into the larger conversation, and why should they care? And so that’s what I’m looking forward to doing — going through that with the audience.”
I’ve been in Washington for 13 years, I was in New York for 16 years before that, I was on the New York Daily News Editorial Board, so I bring my experience, but I also bring me — my identity — an African American, openly gay married man. I have a whole host of lived experiences that I will bring to the chair, and that — I hope and I think — will resonate with the audience.”
The Importance of Minority Anchors and Hosts on Television
Melissa Kearney, the former Director of the Hamilton Project at Brookings Institute, which seeks to advance “America’s promise of opportunity, prosperity and growth,” has produced a research work, “Role Models, Mentors and Media Influences,” with Phillip B. Levine. 
In their study, they highlight the importance of role models, particularly for the minority community. “Role models,” as explained in the study, “can be a powerful force for social learning. They can affect the way people view themselves and the world around them and ultimately affect their decisions about how to conduct their lives. Role models influence the attitudes and behaviors of both children and adults.”
The potential impact on the minority community that shows such as “The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross” and “The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart” could provide are vitally important for their influences on youth and others.
“I want people to be able to turn on the television and see someone that looks like them, or someone that shares their life experience or someone that even gets them,” Capehart said when asked about role models for people of color in the television arena. 
“The importance of having someone on television that looks like you can’t be understated. When I was a 10-year-old kid, and I was watching Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley on ‘The Today Show, that’s what got me hooked on news,” Capehart said. 

“I thought, ‘I want to do that.’ 
“But it wasn’t until Bryant Gumbel took over from Tom Brokaw when Brokaw became an anchor of ‘NBC Nightly News’, that I actually saw a Black person in that job,” Capehart said. “That was a signal to little Jonathan Capehart — ‘that hey wait a minute — this isn’t just something you think you can do; you can do it because there’s that Black guy there. 
“It is my hope that young Black kids, young LGBTQ kids, can turn on the television and see someone that looks like them, shares their life experiences and know, just by me sitting in that chair that anything is possible.”
Cross is thrilled because this show can be a catalyst for more representation of Black Women in the media industry.
“You cannot become what you have not seen,” she said. “And right now, we’re seeing a Black woman Vice President, we’re seeing a Black woman running a television news network, we’re seeing Black women taking steps to move up to the anchor chair in prime time. 
“How this will make a difference in time and influence the next generation is very humbling. I look to my left and look to my right and see so many other people that look like me, doing the most amazing things. It’s truly an honor to be among them.”
Cross’ show will air on Saturdays from 10 a.m. ET to 12 p.m. on MSNBC. Capehart’s show will air on Sundays from 10 a.m. ET to 12 p.m. ET, also on MSNBC.
Story by Buddy Sampson. This story first appeared on EURweb.com
(Edited by Daniel Kucin Jr. and Stan Chrapowicki)

The post Tiffany Cross and Jonathan Capehart Will Inspire New Generations of Viewers with New MSNBC Shows appeared first on Zenger News.

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Alicia Menendez comes to MSNBC after co-hosting Amanpour & Company on PBS, and also has hosted nightly news and Alicia Menendez Tonight, a pop culture show on Fusion.

The network said that lineup details are to be announced in coming weeks. Menendez, a former HuffPost Live host, is the daughter of New Jersey Senator Robert Melendez.

According to Menendez’s website, she is a journalist and multimedia storyteller. She was named “Broadcast Journalism’s New Gladiator” by Elle Magazine, “Ms. Millennial by The Washington Post, and “Content Queen” by Marie Claire.

Prior to joining Fusion, Menendez was one of eight inaugural hosts and producers for HuffPost Live, the Huffington Post’s Internet-based video streaming network. There she interviewed a wide range of celebrities and newsmakers and co-anchored five hours of breaking news coverage after the Boston Marathon bombing and six hours of live coverage on Election Night 2012. A native of Union City, New Jersey, and is a graduate of Harvard College.

Alicia Menendez has quickly become a force in American media.

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