Last month CBS announced that it wouldn't be airing Gregory Nava's American Family. The show starred Edward James Olmos and Esai Morales, and had plenty of support from a waiting Latino audience. Nava is the directorial and writing talent behind big screen Latino favorites such as Mi Familia(1995) and Selena (1997). American Family is still being tossed around boardrooms trying to find a home. In the meantime both HBO and Sundance are planning companion cable channels aimed at the Latino population.
Luckily, Showtime has stepped up to the challenge. For the first time in U.S. television history, there will be a dramatic series that predominately features Latinos in front of and behind the camera. Twenty-two episodes have been ordered, so this isn't the halfhearted commitment CBS made to Nava's production.
The cast will consist of some of the most talented and under-worked Latino artists in the industry. Many Latino actors you hope to see more of but never do, come together in American Family and prove there is plenty of Hispanic talent ready to fill the void in television and film. Even with an all Latino cast, the diversity ranges from Mexican to Puerto Rican to Colombian. The show is solidly acted and has the story and characters to keep you addicted for the entire season. Some of the Spanglish scenes seem stilted, but I came to the realization that this was where the character would normally finish the sentence in Spanish. I guess the fluency in Spanish and English doesn't immediately mean fluency in Spanglish. Nevertheless, the characters remain convincing and three dimensional without the melodrama of a telenovela.
The story centers on a Mexican-American family, the Santiagos, who for generations has hoped to produce a boxing champion. In the first episode, we find Roberto, the patriarch played by Tony Plana, training his middle son Carlos for the middleweight title. The family's hopes and dreams hang in the balance as they struggle overcome the hurdles that fate has in store for them.
The show premieres on June 26th at 10pm (ET/PT) with a two-hour episode.
Next Page > A look at the cast and characters Page 1, 2