JJ Soria to Star in Netflix’s 10-episode Half-Hour Latinx Dramedy “Gentefied”

JJ Soria is getting gentefied

The 32-year-old Mexican-American actor has been cast in the 10-episode half-hour Latinx dramedy Gentefied.

JJ Soria

Soria joins a main cast that includes Karrie MartinCarlos Santos and Joaquín Cosio.

The project hails from Gente-fied: The Digital Series creators Marvin Lemusand Linda Yvette Chávez, showrunner Monica MacerAmerica FerreraTeri Weinbergand Macro.

Written by Lemus and Chávez, Gentefied is adapted from the web series which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Described as a badass bilingual series about family, community, brown love, and the displacement that disrupts it all, Gentefiedis about three Mexican-American cousins (Martin, Soria, Santos) who struggle to chase the American Dream, even while that same dream threatens the things they hold most dear: their neighborhood, their immigrant grandfather (Cosio), and the family taco shop. Set in a rapidly changing Los Angeles, the Spanglish dramedy will navigate important themes like identity, class, and balancing insta-fame with translating memes for their parents. But most importantly,Gentefiedwill settle once and for all how to pronounce Latinx.

Martin will play Ana Morales, a sarcastic, woke, blunt, and endearing, queer artist. Ana is a Chicana who leads with her heart and fights for her art with untethered conviction. She loves her abuelo and her entire family almost to a fault.

Soria will portray Erik, a wisecracking, well-read, charismatic, but tough homie with a heart of gold. He’s a high school dropout, but there isn’t a book in the local library Erik hasn’t read. He’s a reluctant dreamer trying to find his way back to himself. But his loyalty to his grandfather who took him in keeps him from putting time into himself or Lidia, the love of his life.

Santos is Chris, the prodigal grandson, a fun-loving, know-it-all, chef-in-training. Chris is a homegrown Boyle Heights boy who moved to Idaho at a young age and was abruptly introduced to Weezer and cow-tipping. His cousins call him guero for acting and looking like a white boy, which always leaves him wondering if he’ll ever be Mexican enough for anyone.

Cosio is Pop, a hard-working, stoic, but warm, old-fashioned ranchero and the rock of the Morales family. Though gruff with his Tejanaand potty-mouth (“cabron” is his favorite word!), Pop has a huge heart, but that also means a lot of heartache trying to protect them.

“We are thrilled to have gathered a lead cast that captures the unique nuance of the chisme, chistes, and chingaderas that we grew up with in our multi-generational, bilingual, immigrant families,” said Lemus and Chavez. “Joaquin, JJ, Carlos, and Karrie are the abuelo, primos, y prima we shot the shit with as kids, the cousins we partied with, and the grandpa we cried with. They are the Morales family and we can’t wait for everyone to start sending them invites to the carne asada!”

Lemus directs the Netflix production.

A love letter to the Latinx and Boyle Heights communities, creators Lemus and Chavez hope Gentefiedwill let their little cousins rocking Adidas, hoops, and big dreams see themselves on the big screen in ways they only dreamed of growing up.

Martin has co-starred on shows like Pretty Little LiarsThe ArrangementThe Purgeand will soon be appearing in David Ayer’s film The Tax Collector

Soria most recently appeared in the series regular role of Pete Ramos on Crackle series The Oath, and has recurred on TNT’s Animal Kingdom and Freeform’s The Fosters. On the film side, Soria can next be seen in the indie John Henry alongside Terry Crews

CBS Diversity Showcase alum Santos has appeared on CBS’ 2 Broke GirlstruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything and Seeso’s Bajillion Dollar Properties. He also was the lead in the 2013 Slamdance comedy horror feature Ghost Team One and guest-starred on Fox’s The Last Man on Earth

Cosio’s credits include the role of Angel de Plata on FX’s The Strain and Don Neto in Narcos: Mexico.He’s returning for Season 2 of Narcos: Mexicoand will be seen in a starring role in Amazon’s new series CDMX.On the film side, he’ll next be seen in Emilio Portes’ horror thriller Beelzebuth,as well as the sequel to Matando Cabos, where he’ll return to portray the title character. 

Shomi Acquires Streaming Rights to Rodriguez’s “Jane the Virgin”

Life is but a stream for Gina Rodriguez in the Great White North…

Canada’s Shomi has acquired the exclusive streaming rights to The CW‘s Jane the Virgin series, starring the 29-year-old Puerto Rican actress, in a deal that bypasses broadcast.

Gina Rodriguez in Jane the Virgin

The licensing agreement with CBS Studios International follows Shomi grabbing the first window rights to another CW show, Rob ThomasiZombie, as part of a deal with Warner Bros.

“Once our exclusive period is up, the studio is free to license these titles for linear broadcast exhibitions on a second window, but no Canadian broadcaster will have these titles before us, or during our exclusive window,” Marni Shulman, head of content and programming at Shomi, told The Hollywood Reporter about the CBS distribution deal.

The Canadian streamer, a joint venture between Rogers Media and Shaw Media, launched last week as Canadian broadcasters compete against streaming goliath Netflix Canada. Shomi earlier agreed to a deal with Sony Pictures Television to acquire the exclusive streaming rights to The Blacklist, which landed on Netflix stateside as a first window.

Shomi is also streaming repeats of U.S. TV hit shows like 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men, DaVinci’s Demons and Black Sails. It also has content deals signed with Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Starz Digital Media and BBC Worldwide North America.

It’s the latest international deal for Rodriguez’s critically acclaimed series.

Last month, CBS Studios International and U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 sealed the deal on a licensing agreement for the exclusive first window, free-to-air broadcast rights to new critically acclaimed comedy Jane the Virgin.

Catta-Preta Lands Role in the ABC Comedy Pilot “My Thoughts Exactly”

No need to give Jade Catta-Preta a penny for her thoughts…

The Brazilian actress and comedienne has landed a series regular role in the ABC comedy pilot My Thoughts Exactly.

Jade Catta-Preta

From Lowell and Brillstein Entertainment Partners and produced by ABC Studios, the half-hour sitcom is described as a romantic comedy that exposes the unfiltered internal monologues of a young couple embarking on a new relationship.

Catta-Preta will portray Amy, Dana’s (portrayed by Analeigh Tipton) former sorority sister who plays guitar, teaches yoga out of her apartment and trained to be a pastry chef at the Cordon Bleu. Jake McDorman also stars.

The series was written and will be executive-produced by Jeff Lowell.

Catta-Preta’s previous credits include appearances on Daddy Knows Best, Sullivan & Son and 2 Broke Girls.

Longoria to Star in the Animated Series “Mother Up!”

Eva Longoria has landed a mother of a role…

The 37-year-old Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star has signed on to voice the character of Rudi Wilson, a former music exec turned hopeless suburban mom, in the animated series Mother Up! for Canadian broadcaster City and Hulu.

Eva Longoria II

“She’s a crazy, irresponsible mother, that all mothers fear they are,” Longoria tells The Hollywood Reporter about her character’s misguided, yet comedic child-rearing.

“She barely keeps her kids alive with bizarre, improvised solutions to the endless challenges of parenting,” she adds.

City and Hulu have ordered 13 episodes of the half-hour adult animated comedy series that Longoria will also executive produce.

The Canadian series was created by Michael Shipley (Family Guy, My Name is Earl), using original material from Marnie Nir and Katie Torpey.

“It is without a doubt an irreverent and edgy series, and yet still a network friendly show,” Claire Freeland, director of original programming at City-parent Rogers Media said of Mother Up!

City already has a primetime schedule heavy with popular American comedies like Modern Family and 2 Broke Girls, as well as a pipeline filled with homegrown sitcoms Seed and Package Deal.

Despite its motherhood storyline, Freeland added Mother Up! will appeal to both a female and male demo, given its variety of male characters.

The Canadian series also stars Jesse Camacho as the voice of Dick, Gabrielle Miller as Sarah, Cle Bennett as 2Bit, Helen Taylor as Jenny, Rebecca Husain as Apple and Scott McCord as Greg.

For Longoria, Mother Up! marks a return to television following starring roles in movies like The Baytown Outlaws, The Truth and more recently Michael Berry’s Frontera, following her final bow last season as Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives.

The animated comedy also allows Longoria to bring her acting chops to a Toronto sound booth.

“I always find you have so much more freedom as an actor with your voice when you’re hiding behind an animated character, as opposed to live action,” she observes.

City plans a fall 2013 debut for Mother Up!