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Up Down, In Out: The Latinos-on-TV Carousel Keeps Turning

Gina Torres Suits

As the fall season crests and the midseason looms, Latinos on the networks and cable continue to come and go

The early and unfortunate cancellation of NBC’s Welcome to the Family was probably the most noticeable ‘fail’ of the new season, at least as far as Latinos were concerned. This warm and surprisingly wise comedy about an unexpectedly blended family was trapped in a disastrous Thursday night ‘comedy block’ that also triggered the hiatus of Aubrey Plaza’s Parks and Recreation.

Angelique Cabral Enlisted

But meanwhile, some shows with Latinos in the mix are being extended, others renewed, and still others have finally been scheduled for premiere early January 2014.

  • Dads, the Fox sitcom with Tonita Castro as the housekeeper that rules the roost, started with shaky ratings, but has now received a full season order.
  • Suits, the USA law drama with Gina Torres as the most terrifyingly beautiful boss in N.Y., has just been renewed for Season 4
  • Angelique Cabral, briefly seen in Lifetime’s Latina hit Devious Maids, is one of the stars of Enlisted, a new comedy on Fox that’s just been scheduled for a Friday, January 10 debut at 9:30P.
  • John Ortiz Rake

    Rake, the Fox dramady about an eccentric attorney, features John Ortiz as Greg Kinnear’s long-suffering best friend. It’s just been announced that Fox will premiere it in the power position after the NFC Championship game on January 19, then do it again four days later, on January23, in its regular 9P slot Thursdays.

  • Farther into the future, Us & Them, starring Alexis Bledel, was rumored to be dead before it began, but in fact it’s just that the order for episodes has been cut to only six. Not a good sign, but Fox says we’ll still get a chance to see it sometime in the New Year; we just don’t know when.
  • And finally: at first glance, it looks like Ramon Rodriguez Latino-themed cop-vs-gang drama Gang Related is getting the worst treatment; it’s not scheduled to appear on Fox until next May. But a second look shows that it’s actually getting a big leg up: it’s being teamed with the much-promoted revival of 24 in the spring, and should benefit from the exposure.