Latino-Based Sitcom Seen as Partial Win

Alex Nogales claimed victory this week, but it was bittersweet.

Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a media watchdog group, learned Monday that ABC will launch a TV series starring a Latino comedian this fall. The scheduling of the comedy, “Common Law,” featuring Greg Giraldo, ended Nogales’ two-year campaign to get the network to follow through on what he called promises to put more Latinos in prime time.

Those efforts culminated in a nationwide protest by many Latino organizations against ABC in April 1995. They staged a one-day boycott of the network and contacted advertisers for support in pressuring ABC to hire more Latinos, arguing that although Latinos make up 10% of the U.S. population, studies have shown they constitute only 2% of prime-time characters.

Faced with continual denials from ABC executives before and after the protest that promises had been made, Nogales and others in the movement saw a fresh opportunity when the Walt Disney Co. announced last July that it was purchasing Capital Cities/ABC.

Nogales said they met with Disney Chairman Michael D. Eisner and other company executives soon after the announcement. Eisner listened attentively, Nogales said, but made no guarantees that he would lean on ABC to put on a Latino show.

Although a Latino-themed show is now in the fall lineup and is touted by network executives as one of their most promising new comedies, Nogales said he still feels a bit cheated by ABC and its parent company because the network didn’t openly acknowledge its previous shortcomings or give the advocacy groups credit.

“People never do things like this for the right reasons,” Nogales said. “ABC is making this seem like it was in the works all the time. I would rather have them face the reality that they spoke to the community. That would be the most honorable way. Instead, they make it seem like they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. Michael Eisner saw the numbers, and he knows he can’t ignore this large segment of the audience. What we’re seeing is the fruition of that discussion.”

He added, “But as long as it gets done, that is what’s important. For that, I am pleased.”

Disney public relations officials said they could not even confirm that Nogales met with Eisner. But they insisted that the decisions about the ABC schedule rested solely with Capital Cities/ABC President Robert Iger, ABC Entertainment President Ted Harbert and David Westin, president of the ABC Television Network Group.

“The desire for diversity did not hurt the show,” an ABC spokesperson said. “But the bottom line is this is a real good show and deserves to be on our schedule.”

“Common Law” stars attorney-turned-stand-up Giraldo as John Alvarez, a rebellious Harvard-educated attorney at a large Manhattan firm. He is surrounded by colleagues who “don’t know what to make of a Hispanic lawyer who is not ‘Hispanic’ enough to be categorized,” a press release for the show says. Alvarez is having a clandestine romantic relationship with a non-Latino female colleague (Megyn Price). Gregory Sierra plays Alvarez’s old-fashioned father, a barber.

Other Latino leaders and producers said they understood Nogales’ frustration but considered the mere fact that ABC was putting on a show starring a Latino reason enough to celebrate.

“Of course ABC would never admit to anything,” said Jerry Velasco, president of the Latino actors group Nosotros. “The protesting may have expedited their decision, but scheduling the show still shows an improvement and good faith on their part.”

Added Lisa Navarrete, public relations director for the National Council of La Raza: “In the best of all possible worlds, it would have been nice for ABC to say, ‘Yes, we are being responsive to our viewers.’ But that would mean they are admitting they did something wrong. And ABC has made a lot of improvements in diversifying all of their shows.”

Producer Jeff Valdez, who developed a Latino-themed comedy for NBC that was ultimately turned down, said, “The situation is so dire on television that anything we have is an improvement.”

The ABC spokesman said that “Common Law” has met “with a lot of praise within the network. Greg Giraldo is very funny, and advertisers had a very positive reaction to him.”

The series, which is being produced by Witt-Thomas Productions, is scheduled to air Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. after “Coach.”

Rob LaZebnik, the creator of “Common Law” and one of its four executive producers, said he was somewhat aware of last year’s controversy over the low representation of Latinos on ABC, but didn’t believe it had anything to do with the show being picked up. He said he hopes the series will be accepted on its own terms.

“The show functions on a lot of levels,” he said. “The fact that Greg is Latino is just one facet of his life and of the show. I know the show will be scrutinized, but I just want it to be seen and reviewed without all this other stuff hanging over it. I want many kinds of viewers to come to this show.”

“Common Law” is the only network series premiering this fall with a Latino character in the center of the action. UPN has ordered a show called “An American Family,” about a Latino family, for midseason.

Nogales said the scheduling of “Common Law” does not take the heat off ABC or Disney. He said the National Hispanic Media Coalition has been lobbying for a high-placed Latino in the corporate ranks who would oversee diversity and would report directly to Eisner. So far, he said, Disney has not responded to that proposal. Disney had no comment.