L-r: David Lambert, Cierra Ramirez, Jake T. Austin,
Teri Polo, Sherri Saum and Maia Mitchell
Ethnically blended families, gay parents, and the new realities of growing up in twenty-first century America are finally, fully on display in Jennifer Lopez’ new TV series, The Fosters, premiering Monday June 3.
Let’s face it: it’s a new world. And it’s no surprise that it’s not network TV, or a traditional production company, that’s finally showing the wide, rich variety of family life in modern America. But here it is: The Fosters, about stepfamilies, divorce, same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, mixed-race couples, multiculturalism, adoption, domestic abuse and the foster-care system. And that’s just the first episode.
Latina powerhouse Jennifer Lopez is one of the executive producers on this challenging new series from ABC Family, and up-and-coming Latino actors Jake T. Austin (Wizards of Waverly Place) and Cierra Ramirez (Girl in Progress) are at center stage as two of the kids in this “pleasantly chaotic” household, led by high school principal Sherri Saum and her partner, police officer Teri Polo. You’ve got kids from a previous marriage, adopted twins, and a street-hardened foster kid in the mix, so it’s bound to be interesting. “The world has just kind of become a lot more complicated in a lot of ways. This show is going to deal with a lot of those things,” Saum said in a recent interview. “Just being the show that it is, it’s going to come with its own set of challenges. Our creators, our writers don’t need to fly this giant banner of homosexuality or whatever the theme might be. It’s just a slice of life, and they are smart enough to know not to parade around some message to people.”
Check it out for yourself at 9P on Monday June 3. It rebroadcasts immediately after its premiere, then play again on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, multiple times. And it’s more than a little appropriate and ironic that it premieres immediately after the final episode of The Secret Life of the American Teenager as it ends its own four-year run–a show that brought its own unique and important portrayal of the modern American family to light.
Here’s an extended preview here…and don’t miss the live-chat on Twitter with executive producer Jennifer Lopez during the East Coast premiere at 9pm. Just head to @JLo to participate.
