There’s a lot of talk about how bad it is for Latinos in the 2012 TV season…but when you look at the whole picture, that just doesn’t hold up.
Over the last few days, we’ve looked at the fall and midseason schedules for each of the four broadcast networks. But maybe we spent too much time monitoring the ups and down, comings and goings of Latinos on network TV alone, in a short-term, snapshot kind way, rather than looking at the bigger picture. And we’re not alone; it seems like every media journalist and Latino commentator has done a story about how crappy things are for Latinos on TV this season. In fact, it’s become a kind of “meme” (this season’s catchword for “persistent statement, true or not, that will soon become a cliché”)–the number of Latinos on TV is going down.
And actually…that’s not entirely true. As usual, it’s a lot more complex (and revealing) than that.
Two of the networks–NBC and ABC–continue to feature Latinos in a wide range of positive and memorable supporting roles–as lawyers, doctors, accountants, parents. 7 of ABC’s 15 shows for the fall are part of this group; 8 of NBC’s 16 scripted shows for the fall fill the bill as well (not including The Voice), with more coming at midseason in both instances. CBS, which has always been a poor performer in terms of Latinos in front of the camera, continues it tragic trend, leaving Cote de Pablo almost alone–and she’s not even playing a Latina. The CW Network is even worse; there were no Latino characters or actors featured in any of its pilots, and virtually none of last season’s new shows that featured Latinos made it through to the fall. And Fox took the longest fall, from a handful of shows last year with Latinos as cast members to little more than Lea Michele and Naya Rivera dancing her heart out on Glee as September rolls around.
But in fact, Fox is the only broadcast network with a significant decrease in the number of Latinos on screen. Everyone else is doing close to what they did a year ago–whether than number is good or bad. And meanwhile, the number of Latinos in prominent positions all across the cable dial–frequently reaching as many viewers as CW, Fox, or even NBC shows–continues to grow. In fact, there are so many folks working it’s difficult-to-impossible to keep track of all the Latinos starring in cable shows, being added to casts of additional shows, or enjoying multi-episode or even season-long arcs. Still, it’s pretty clear that the news is good: you can see everything from bright young Latino stars-in-the-making on Disney to impressive up-and-comers like Aimee Garcia on Showtime’s very adult Dexter to grande dame of Latino entertainment like Rita Moreno, still in there working it every week on Happily Divorced.
And more things are happening behind the camera than ever before. Roberto Orci may have lost Terra Nova this season, but Fringe and Hawaii Five-0 continue to appear, and he’s got plenty more in the works, as well as a big new development deal (like he needed it). Now Cynthia Cidre is a creator and show-runner as well, on TNT’s new version of Dallas. Norberto Barba remains as one of the exec producers, sometime director of the remarkably popular new NBC supernatural thriller Grimm, while actress/director Roxann Dawson steps up to Supervising producer/director status herself on ABC’ s Scandal. And we’re barely scratching the surface.
Let’s be clear: there’s no explosion of opportunity for Latinos in Hollywood this season, but it’s not fair or accurate to say they’re being ‘frozen out,’ either. It’s absolutely true that there are far too few Latino characters on the tube, and even fewer Latino families or themes. But if you look at the total picture, maybe the dominant term should be ‘disappointment,’ rather than ‘betrayal.’ It’s true: there were all those pilots that looked good–one with a Latino in the lead on each network–but none of which made the cut. And there were all these development deals with Latino powerhouses, from Jennifer Lopez to Eva Longoria to JoAnna Garcia and more…none of which have really borne fruit (unless you count Eva’s new dating show, or Garcia’s last-minute inclusion into NBC, where she plays an Anglo veterinarian). And the two most recent Latino programs that have gotten most of the attention are ¡Rob!, with all its issues, and Devious Maids, with what has to be the most disappointing title for a Latino-centered show this century. There’s no hiding it: things could be better.
Any real conclusion? Maybe just this: the Latino demographic, as artificial as that designation is, continues to grow, while the best you can say about programming, especially on the broadcast nets, is that we’re trading water. This isn’t good. But as far as TV in 2012-2013, it’s also not a disaster. In fact, you could even call it good…just not good enough.
