Gemini Division
Rosario Dawson started her career with the controversial movie, Kids. Since then, she has starred in science fiction/surreal movies like Men in Black II and Sin City. She has also stayed on the edge, by pushing people to stay engaged with groups like Global Cool and her own organization, Voto Latino.
Now she is one of the executive producers on a show called Gemini Division. Gemini Division is a new show from NBC broadcasting solely on the internet, although you can actually see it on some On Demand channels. The show comes in 5 minute long episodes that are bundled and delivered at teh end of every week. We can expect to see 50 episodes, and one hopeful sign is that the web site refers to the the season as Season 1.
It started in August and promises to break several barriers for online television potential. Each episode is separated by very brief and tolerable commercial. They also include barely noticeable product placements like showing the television show 24, where they show Cisco during hi-tech video meetings. Mentioning advertising might seem like a bizarre way to encourage people to watch the show, but it raises the potential for Latinos on television. The advertisement and story delivery is somewhat revolution for network television. There is an episode called "Manwich to Go" where an agent orders a Manwich along with several weapons and tools for a mission. Other than that, the ads are extremely minor and we get a well paced, trend setting show starring a Black Latina.
Rosario plays Detective Ana Diaz, a young cop in love whose world gets turned upside down when she's introduced to a world she didn't know existed. That world consists of secret military agencies and a battle against a group of super soldiers, called Sims, with some extra technology inside. She soon finds herself outside of her usual detective work and inside the covert world of private military work.
The show unfolds as Ana Diaz speaks through her PDA into a webcam directed at you, the viewer. I work in technology security, so I was a bit heightened to some technical inconsistencies of an Agent using a webcast wherever she wandered, but they actually handled those issues a bit later in the show. Luckily they balance the show by showing real action. Behind the super soldiers and Ana Diaz kicking butt, there is also good character and relationship development and a focus on making sure the viewer can be placed in this new world. Not an easy task in 5 minute long bursts.
You can also visit the MySpace page, forums and other parts of the site and take part in the Alternate Reality games where you can find "extra" information about the case Ana Diaz is working on, and delve into secret files attained by the Gemini Division group. You can spend 5 minutes checking out the show, or delve deeper into the hidden mysteries scattered about the world wide web.
Beyond trying to be a trend setter for internet based shows, I think there is a second benefit. One of my favorite shows form the past is Dark Angel with Jessica Alba. Although, she is Latina, I don't remember any references to that in the show. It's not only important for Latinos and Latinas to get jobs in the industry, but it's important to play Latinos as well. The WB had a show Roswell, where one role was originally Latina and they cast an Anglo so Anglicized the role. However, Majandra Delfino, who was born in Venezuela,was cast as a secondary role who was blonde and they kept her role an Anglo because she wasn't Latino enough (too blonde). Television has a lousy, although improved, history with Latino performances. Majandra Delfino, by the way, can now be seen in another web based show Quarterlife.
Rosario Dawson is not only an Afro Latina who plays a Latina, but they even send her undercover to Mexico in the show where she is seen speaking spanish and melting into Mexican society without an awkward explanation. In fact, it is very real, since Mexico has a Black population that is largely ignored. But, I have no faith that such a scenario would be played out on normal network television. The show also stars Kevin Alejandro as Amasso, the leader of the Sims, and Mark Espinoza as Sal Diaz.
Not only does Gemini Division give us an idea of the potential for the future of webcast television, but it might be a medium where other barriers might be broken. It's easier to take risks with simpler and more direct advertising models and where the audience essentially seeks you out online.
I've gathered several resources about Gemini Division for you to find out more: Gemini Division
Take time to watch the first few episodes. No excuses, you definitely have time for a good show in 5 minutes bursts.
See more: http://geminidivision.com/