Laz Alanso
No more Laz Alonso, and no Freddie Rodríguez, Diana Maria Riva, or Pedro Pascal in the fall
The “upfronts,” the big announcements about the fall TV season, will be on us as early as next week…but in the meantime, the networks are already announcing the fates of a few programs and pilots. The latest news includes the cancellation–to no one’s surprise–of Deception, NBC’s largely unsuccessful attempt to clone a hybrid of ABC’s hits Revenge and Scandal. That’s sad news for co-star Laz Alonso was accompanied by word of a solid ‘pass’ on six pilots, too, including three that featured popular Latino actors.
Freddie Rodriguez
Freddie Rodríguez of Chaos and Ugly Betty was part of After Hours, aka Night Shift, about the late-night workers in a major American city. NBC decided it wasn’t interested. But fear not, Freddie fans: look for him in the feature films CBGB and Fort Bliss later this year.
Pedro Pascal
Pedro Pascal was covering a lot of bases when he showed up in the crime drama The Sixth Gun, and NBC said “No”…but that may not be a problem for this busy young actor. Weeks after he disappears with the end of Red Widow (an ABC show which, though not yet cancelled, is widely considered DOA), he’ll show up as part of the cast of USA’s much-anticipated undercover cop show Graceland. So no harm no foul, at least for Pedro.
Diana Maria Riva
Diana Maria Riva was in FOX’s The Good Guys two seasons back and CBS’ ¡Rob! just last year, and we were looking forward to seeing her in the very odd sitcom called Drop Off (aka The Gates), about the interlocking lives of families dropping their kids off at day care (really? Yes, really.). But NBC apparently didn’t get the joke either; it’s one of the pilots that won’t be showing up in the fall.
And this is just the beginning. NBC still has nineteen other pilots in contention, many with Latinos involved. And the other networks are still playing their decisions close to the corporate vests. Still, this bit o’ news signifies the Beginning of the End for a lot of hopeful Hollywood projects. We’ll keep you informed as the drama (and comedy) unfolds…
