History was made on this Sunday as the first English language sitcom starring an all Latino cast and creative crew aired on Nickelodeon. Jeff Valdez, from SíTV, is the creator and producer of the show. He recalls his own experiences as a child to create an enjoyable show about a young boy trying to fit in with his older brothers. The show carries no overt political or cultural overtones, other than the strong bond of family and high values.
While the story concentrates on a U.S. born Mexican-American family, the cast and crew are very diverse. Carlos La Camara, a Cuban-American, is the patriarch of the family who is history professor and tutor. As the disciplinarian, he's only half sincere when he repeatedly tells the boys to stop horsing around. Often he finds himself in the middle of the antics himself. In a Wonder Years format, Colombian born John Leguizamo narrates as he reflects on his childhood as 11-year-old Larry Garcia (played by Alvin Alvarez). Leguizamo is excellent as the voice of a young boy who has grown up. My favorite parts of his one-man-shows (Mambo Mouth, Freak) have been when he takes on the character of his younger self.
George (Bobby Gonzalez) is the academic 12-year-old, and the Carlos is the athletic oldest brother (age 13). The boys often find themselves in competition with each other, like seeing who will be first to try their father's special blend of hot salsa. In the first episode, the boys pool their creative minds to find a way to pay for tickets. The only difference between this family show and another is that the family is brown, they speak with accents that aren't exaggerated, and occasionally the Garcias use a Spanish phrase in a context where it can be understood. The Garcias don't live in a gang-invested neighborhood, nor are they running from immigration. Nobody is likely to be shot unless it is a "very special episode." The show, in the long run, may prove to be the Latino Cosby Family - normalizing Latinos as people. This family just happens to have salsa with meals, listen to different music, and speaks Spanglish. They're just a family with hard working parents who are in love, and precocious, mischievous kids.
One failing in the show is the surprising lack of depth and blatant disregard for the female characters in the show. I have to wonder how far a stretch it would have been to call the show "Family Garcia" or "Kids Garcia". The show is, without a doubt, about the brothers. The father doesn't get a lot of attention either, but the women receive even less and at least one scene carried on as if they were not in the room. After the father makes an announcement that he earned some extra money and the family ignores him, he begins to talk again saying, "Well, since the Brothers Garcia aren't interested..." The mother, Sonia (Ada Maris), is described as pragmatic and has her own business. Nevertheless, when she sees that Larry has been knocked down while wrestling, she runs to him while screaming, "Somebody call 911 .. Get me the first aid kit." This seems like the response of a first time mother with a newborn, more than a mother who has been raising three boys for thirteen years. Larry's twin sister, Lorena (Vaneza Leza Pitynski), does a wonderful job portraying the daughter who is addicted to telenovelas and making every situation into a plot from Spanish television.
The show may redeem itself in future episodes. Nickelodeon does appear to be preparing to show balance with the upcoming show Taina, which is about a young Puerto Rican girl in a performance arts school in New York. Until then, it appears to be a boy's show.
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