We’ve already covered the first half of the weekly schedule for the new mid-season, but there’s a whole lot happening from Thursday to Sunday as well…
THURSDAYS: Rob comes to CBS
NBC’s got Aubrey Plaza on Parks and Recreation and Oscar Nuñez in The Office, both back in January; ABC’s returning with Sara Ramirez in Grey’s Anatomy and sticking with newcomer Benjamin Bratt in Private Practice, while the CW’s bringing in new episodes of Vampire Diaries and Michael Trevino this month, too…but the big news is CBS’ premiere of ¡Rob!, the Rob Schneider show with the big Latino family (Claudia Bassols, Cheech Marin, Diana Maria Riva, Eugenio Derbez and Lupe Ontiveros) showing up January 12 at 8:30P.
FRIDAYS: The last of Chuck
Friday nights are basically devoid of Latino content up or down the dial. The only show with a Latino in the regular cast is Chuck with Josh Gomez, and we’ll be seeing the last of that show by the end of the month. Meanwhile, Monica Raymund’s arc on Friday’ Blue Bloods has ended…but keep reading…
SATURDAYS: VicTORIous and…uh…
Generally speaking, Saturday has become a No Man’s Land for original programming for any network, though it has become a good place to catch the most recent episode of favorite shows you may have missed that week, from Castle to Harry’s Law to almost anything on Pay Cable. The only original news is the return of Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande in Nickelodeon’s VicTORIous, with new programs beginning January 28.
SUNDAYS: Napoleon Dynamite premieres on Fox, Luck debuts and Eastbound and Down returns to HBO
The animated version of Napoleon Dynamite with the voice of Efren Ramirez joins Fox’s “Animation Domination,” while ABC’s Desperate Housewives with Eva Longoria and Ricardo Chavira winds down and Once Upon a Time with Lana Parrilla builds its base. Meanwhile, on CBS, CSI Miami still has Adam Rodriguez and Eva La Rue, and we expect to see Monica Raymund continuing to plot and seduce on The Good Wife. The big Sunday news, however, is on cable, where HBO premieres Luck with John Ortiz as a powerful part of the cast, and Eastbound and Down begins its third season. Latino stars shine on Sundays on the Disney Channel, as well, with Raini Rodriguez continuing her role in the Disney Channel’s Austin & Allie at 8P and Adam Irigoyen and Bella Thorne returning in new episodes of Shake It Up! starting January 8. And at the end of the season, on Sunday March 4, we’ll finally see Marisol Nichols (and Kristin Chenoweth and Annie Potts and many more) in G.C.B., aka Good Christian Belles, a.k.a. Good Christian Bitches (which was the name of the book that the comedy was original based on.)
By our count–and we could be wrong, accounting is not our strong suit–that looks like 30 shows on the five broadcast networks alone, returning or beginning between January and March, with Latinos in lead roles or supporting casts, including two new series (yes, both with questionable premises, but still) featuring Latino stars or themes…and still two shows, CBS’ 1-8-7 and NBC’s Awake, waiting in the wings with new set premier date.
With half a season still to come, it’s hard to make any final assessments, but one thing is certain: Latinos continue to be a growing part of TV, and there are some exciting things on the horizon.
Stay tuned!
