NBC Gives Series Order to “Happy’s Place,” Starring Belissa Escobedo

Belissa Escobedo has found her happy(’s) place

NBC has given a series order to Happy’s Place, starring the 25-year-old Latina actress and Reba McEntire.

Belissa Escobedo, Reba McEntire, Happy's PlaceThe comedy sees McEntire play Bobbie, who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.

In addition to McEntire and Escobedo, the multi-cam series also stars Melissa Peterman, Pablo Castelblanco, Tokala Black Elk and Rex Linn.

Writer Kevin Abbott executive produces with Michael Hanel, Mindy Schultheis, Julie Abbott and McEntire.

It’s produced by Universal Television.

Happy’s Place, which reunites McEntire with members of her Reba team, was the first pilot of the season to be ordered, in January.

Escobedo’s previous credits include Blue Beetle, Hocus Pocus 2, The Baker and the Beauty and American Horror Stories.

Belissa Escobedo to Star in Reba McEntire’s Still-Untitled NBC Comedy Pilot

Belissa Escobedo has lined up her next project…

The 25-year-old Latina actress and Blue Beetle star has been cast in Reba McEntire in her as-yet-untitled NBC multi-cam comedy pilot.

Belissa Escobedo,The project is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

The pilot follows Bobbie (McEntire) who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.

Escobedo stars as Bobbie’s sister Isabella, an enthusiastic 20-something, who has studied psychology and loves to analyze people. She is thrilled to start working at the tavern and is full of “great” ideas about how to bring it to life.

Escobedo’s star continues to rise following two major roles in DC Entertainment/Warner Bros’ Blue Beetle, where he portrayed the titular character’s (played by Xolo Maridueña) sister Milagro, and Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2 where she popped off the screen—no easy task when you’re starring opposite Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, who returned as the Sanderson sisters.

Additional credits include the ABC dramedy The Baker And The Beauty alongside Carlos Gomez, Lisa Vidal and Victor Rasuk; Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series American Horror Stories, the Catherine Hardwicke-directed Quibi limited series Don’t Look Deeper and the American High films Sex Appeal (Hulu) and Sid Is Dead.

Victor Rasuk to Appear in Disney’s Onyx Collective Series “Reasonable Doubt”

Victor Rasuk’s latest project is in (Reasonable) Doubt

The 38-year-old Dominican American actor, who previously starred in The Baker and the Beauty, has landed a recurring role in Disney’s Onyx Collective series Reasonable Doubt to stream on Hulu.

Victor Rasuk

Rasuk will be joined by fellow cast newcomers Christopher Cassarino, Brooke Lyons and Eugene Byrd.

Emayatzy Corinealdi stars in the legal drama, which hails from writer/executive producer Raamla Mohamed; executive producer Kerry Washington, who will direct the first episode; and ABC Signature.

In Reasonable Doubt, you’ll judge Jax Stewart (Corinealdi) for her questionable ethics and wild interpretations of the law… until you’re the one in trouble. Then you’ll see her for what she is: the most brilliant and fearless defense attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system at every chance she gets.

Rasuk plays Mike Llanas, an overzealous D.A., a man who lives and dies for his work. He and Jax went to law school together and have a history as rivals.

Cassarino will play Rich, an attorney at the same firm where Jax works, dealing mostly with contracts and litigation. He clashes with Jax during a huge case during the season.

Rasuk played the series lead in ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty, which is currently streaming on Netflix. He’s also known for his work as the lead on HBO’s How to Make it in America and has appeared on series including ER, Stalker, Colony, Blue Bloods and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.

Victor Rasuk to Star in the Coming-of-Age Dark Comedy “Wildflower”

Victor Rasuk’s career is in full bloom…

The 37-year-old Dominican American actor has been cast in Limelight and eOne’s Wildflower

Victor RasukRasuk is among a roster of new cast additions that includes two-time Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kannon Omachi, Brad Garrett, Reid Scott, Erika Alexander and Chris Mulkey

They join Jean SmartKiernan ShipkaAlexandra DaddarioDash MihokCharlie Plummer and Samantha Hyde.

Matt Smukler is directing; Jana Savage is writing.

Based on Smukler’s family, Wildflower is a coming-of-age dark comedy that follows Bea Johnson from birth to graduation as she navigates life with a parent with an intellectual disability and an extended family that can’t quite agree on the best way to help.

Rasuk’s previous credits include ABC’s short-lived series The Baker and the Beauty, Jack Ryan and Colony.

Carlos Gomez to Appear on David E. Kelley’s ABC Drama Series “Big Sky”

The sky’s the limit for Carlos Gomez.

The 59-year-old Latino actor has landed a recurring role on David E. Kelley’s hit freshman ABC drama series Big Sky.

Carlos Gomez

Gomez, who most recently appeared in ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty joins a roster of recurring actors that includes Anja Savcic and Zoë Noelle Baker.

The crime thriller was created by Big Little Lies’ Kelly based on C.J. Box’s book.

Big Sky follows private detective Cassie Dewell, played by Kylie Bunbury, and ex-cop Jenny Hoyt, played by Katheryn Winnick, who join forces to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken.

Gomez will play Gil Amaya, former ranch manager forever entangled with the Kleinsasser family, including their darkest secrets.

The sries is produced by 20th Century Fox Television in association with A+E Studios.

Gomez most recently starred as Rafael Garcia on ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty. He also portrayed Jose Menendez on Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, recurred as Agent Jose Campos in CBSMadam Secretary, and he previously starred for four seasons on A&E Network’s The Glades.

His film work includes Spiked with Aiden Quinn and Ride Along 2 opposite Kevin Hart.

Michelle Veintimilla to Appear on ABC’s David E. Kelley Drama Series “Big Sky”

The (big) sky’s the limit for Michelle Veintimilla.

The 28-year-old Latina actress has landed a recurring role on David E. Kelley’s hit freshman ABC drama series Big Sky.

Michelle Veintimilla

Veintimilla’s character will be introduced in the back half of Season 1.

The crime thriller series, created by Kelley based on C.J Box’s book, follows private detective Cassie Dewell, played by Kylie Bunbury, and ex-cop Jenny Hoyt, played by Katheryn Winnick, who join forces to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken.

Veintimilla will play Rosie Amaya, the tough as nails daughter of Gil Amaya, the Kleinsasser family’s ranch manager. Rosie grew up close to Blake Kleinsasser, who taught her the ropes of cattle-ranching. Rosie will play a pivotal role in Dewell and Hoyt’s investigation into Lochsa county and unraveling its darkest secrets.

Produced by 20th Century Fox Television in association with A+E Studios, the series also stars Brian Geraghty as Ronald Pergman, Dedee Pfeiffer as Denise Brisbane, Natalie Alyn Lind as Danielle Sullivan, Jade Pettyjohn as Grace Sullivan, Jesse James Keitel as Jerrie and Valerie Mahaffey as Helen Pergman.

Veintimilla most recently starred as Vanessa Sanchez on ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty, and next stars opposite Corey Stoll in Stephen Belber’s upcoming film, What We Do Next. She played the daughter of Salma Hayek and Alec Baldwin in the comedy Drunk Parents, starred in Netflix’s limited series Seven Seconds and had recurring roles in Neil LaBute’s series The I-Land and as the super villain Firefly on Fox’s Gothamamong other credits.

David Del Rio to Star in ABC’s Comedy Pilot “Maggie”

David Del Rio has landed his next role…

The 33-year-old Latino actor has been cast as a series regular opposite Rebecca Rittenhouse in the ABC comedy pilot Maggie, based on Tim Curcio’s short film.

David Del Rio

Del Rio will star joins a roster of cast newcomers that includes Chris Elliott, Ray Ford and Leonardo Nam. 

The project hails from Family Guy and Life in Pieces writer Maggie Mull, daughter of Clue actor Martin Mull, and Life in Pieces creator Justin Adler. 20th Century Fox Television produces.

Written by Mull and Adler, the single-camera comedy follows a young woman (Rittenhouse) who tries to cope with life while coming to terms with her abilities as a psychic. She can see everyone’s future, but her present is a mess.

Del Rio will play Ben. A gregarious guy, Ben has a heightened energy and is enlivened by new experiences and people. In this way, he’s Maggie’s opposite, but like Maggie, he has a romantic side that he tries to hide behind a sometimes overly confident veneer.

Del Rio most recently starred on ABC’s short-lived Latin-themed series The Baker and the Beauty.

On the film side, he can also be seen in James Gunn’s The Belko Experiment. His credits also include a supporting role in Universal’s Pitch Perfect, the indie Dead Drop opposite Cole Hauser, and Nickelodeon’s The Troop, on which he starred for three seasons.

Carlos Gomez to Appear on Season Two of Starz’s “Hightown”

Carlos Gomez is coming to (high)town

The 58-year-old Latino American actor has landed a recurring role on the second season of Starz’s crime drama series Hightown, starring Monica Raymund, from Jerry Bruckheimer and Lionsgate Television.

Carlos Gomez

The second season picks up about six weeks after the events in the Season 1 finale, around Halloween, in Cape Cod’s desolate, cold but still achingly beautiful off-season. The tourists are gone, and all of our characters are in a different place compared to where they were at the beginning of season one. The weak are now powerful, and the powerful are now weak. But beyond that, there is darkness beneath the surface of all of our main characters, particularly Jackie and Ray. Both have shadow sides of their personality — holes in their souls that they try to fill with drugs, alcohol, women, ambition and work. There’s a new terror on The Cape, and it may be its greatest White Whale yet.

Gomez will play Rafael. Father of Jackie (Raymund), past his glory days but always looking for a good time. Charismatic and charming with a dark side, Rafael is a fisherman in New Bedford, MA. He has a strained and complicated relationship with his daughter.

Rebecca Cutter created the series and serves as executive producer with Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed.

Gomez’s previous television credits include The Baker and the Beauty, Chicago Med, Elementary and Madam Secretary.

Tanya Saracho Among Top TV & Film Creators Demanding More Latinx Representation in Hollywood

Tanya Saracho is calling for more Latinx representation in Hollywood…

The Mexican playwright, screenwriter and actress is among some of the top creators in television and film who are demanding for change when it comes to Latinx representation as Hispanic Heritage Months comes to an end.

Tanya Saracho

In an open letter to Hollywood more than 270 Latinx showrunners, creators, and television and feature writers, including Saracho, Lin-Manuel MirandaGloria Calderon-Kellett, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Steven Canals, John Leguizamo, Linda Yvette-Chavez, Carolina Paiz, Marco Ramirez, Javier Grillo-Marxuach and more are calling for systemic change in the entertainment industry.

The letter begins: “As we come to the end of Hispanic Heritage Month in the midst of a global pandemic and continued racial injustice, many of us in the Latinx community have found it difficult to celebrate. Inspired by the activism of the Black and Indigenous communities, many of whom also identify as Latinx, we stand in solidarity with our fellow Black, Native and Indigenous writers, co-signing their WGAW Open Letters and echoing their demands for systemic change in our industry.”

“As Latinx Showrunners, Creators, TV and Feature Writers, we are incensed by the continued lack of Latinx representation in our industry, especially among the Black and Indigenous members of our community,” the letter continues. “Our stories are important, and our erasure onscreen contributes to the persistent prejudice that prevents real change in this country. This prejudice is not as overt as the one that keeps immigrant children in cages and separates families at the border, or as violent as the racism that is killing our Black, Brown, and Indigenous community members at the hands of police.”

“But when we are onscreen, we’re often relegated to stereotypes or villains. And as a recent​ ​New York Times OpEd​ states, ‘White elites cannot muffle a huge, vibrant community for decades and not expect consequences. For Latinos in the Trump era, these consequences are deadly, from Hurricane Maria to the Walmart shooting in El Paso and the pandemic, as well as soaring hate crimes.’”

The letter points out that the Latinx community makes up 18.3% of the U.S. population but it is not reflected in film and TV. There are only 4.7% feature writers and 8.7% TV writers that are Latinx. As Latinx writers move up to Showrunner level, the stats only get more dismal. “By refusing to tell our stories AND by refusing to put us in charge of telling them — Hollywood power brokers are complicit in our exclusion,” the letter remarks.

This is even further supported by a recent study from CAA and Parrot Analytics, which shows that even though television shows are a lot more diverse than they were three years ago, not all racial and ethnic groups were equally well represented in scripted debuts. Latinos and Hispanics remain significantly underrepresented despite being one of the fastest-growing demographics in the country.

While there are shows like One Day At A Time that having managed to get multiple season orders, there have been other Latino-fronted shows in the past years, like The Baker and the Beauty and United We Fall — that have been canceled before getting the chance to find their footing beyond one season.

The letter can be summarized with three words included heavily throughout: “We are tired.”

The open letter does not mince words with the demands and draws out exactly what needs to be done including creating stories for and about the Latinx community by Latinx creators; greenlighting Latinx-fronted projects; respecting all aspects and intersections of the Latinx cultural representation; and hiring Latinx creators for non-Latinx projects.

The letter, which was posted on social channels with the hashtag #EndLatinXclusion, closes with “Stories are powerful. Stories change the world. Let’s get on the right side of history so we can continue to create needed change and tell captivating stories together.”

This initiative was launched by the Untitled Latinx Project (ULP) founded by Saracho. It’s an all-Latina advocacy group formed to increase representation of Latinx created stories for television. The goal of this call to action was uniting the professional community of Latinx writers, creators and showrunners.

Read the letter in full here.

Joaquin Castro & Congressional Hispanic Caucus Urge Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to Update Diversity in the Media Report

Joaquin Castro is calling for a more diverse media…

In a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) – chaired by the 45-year-old Mexican American politician and U.S. Representative for Texas’ 20th congressional district – is urging the commission to update its “Diversity in the Media: A Chart Book for Selected Industries” report, which hasn’t been updated since 2004.

Joaquin Castro

The call to action furthers Castro and the CHC’s efforts to increase diversity in media and entertainment and to have a baseline of data for transparency and ultimately greater accountability in the industry.

The letter is addressed to EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon, as well as EEOC Commissioners Victoria A. Lipnic and Charlotte A. Burrows and discusses the importance of having a baseline of data for transparency and ultimately greater accountability.

The 2004 report lays out data on the diversity in media in three major categories: broadcasting, publishing and cable.

With the advent of streaming and the surge of digital content, the CHC points out that the media industry has “drastically changed” since the report was released over 16 years ago and it’s time that revisions be made.

Castro and the CHC requested the EEOC update the report no more than 60 days from the receipt of the letter. They also are looking for updates every 30 days until the final report is released.

The CHC broke it down and requested that the new report include:

  1.  Disaggregated data on race, ethnicity and gender by individual industry rather than the grouping format used in 2004.
  2.  New industries such as digital content and streaming provider
  3.  Updated data for all positions in each industry from entry level up to and including Executive level positi
  4.  When possible, data on salaries and wages disaggregated by race, ethnicity and gender for each of the employee categories, including Executive level positions for each industry.

“While discrimination and lack of equal opportunity for underrepresented groups is present in many fields, the media industry is unique in its ability to influence the broader culture and shape the perception of entire groups,” the letter stated. “When Latinos do not have the opportunity to shape the media’s depiction of our communities, it ultimately emboldens a misunderstanding of our communities that weakens the social fabric of American society. The CHC views greater transparency around employment data through publicly available information as critical to increasing representation for Latinos and other underrepresented communities.”

An updated report would hopefully help move the needle further as Hollywood tries to become more inclusive when it comes to talent in front of and behind the camera — specifically in a time when the country is seeing a social and civic reckoning.

It also comes after a blatant lack of Latinx representation when it came to Emmy award nominations, even though the television landscape was filled with Latinx-led shows like Vida, One Day At A Time and Gentefied.

Pose has been an Emmy favorite and although star Billy Porter was nominated, there was no love for show co-creator Steven Canals or series stars Mj Rodriguez and Indya Moore, who’ve delivered stellar work on the FX drama.

The new ABC comedy United We Fall features Latinx characters but with the cancellation of The Baker and the Beauty, there’s a glaring absence of shows with a majority Latinx cast on a major network.

Last fall, Castro led a congressional delegation to Los Angeles where the CHC met with several studios and streamers, talent agencies, as well as union and guilds. Congress has worked to include this language in almost all of the major funding bills during the Appropriations process and in the National Defense Authorization Act. The CHC has regular conversations with stakeholders regarding the state of the industry. Most recently the CHC had meetings with Amazon Studios and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as they develop their new 2025 diversity initiatives to ensure that Latinos are included in these goals on diversity.

The letter was signed by Castro, Robert Menendez (Co-Chair, Diversity Taskforce), Tony Cárdenas (Co-Chair, Diversity Taskforce) as well as members of Congress José E. SerranoRuben GallegoGilbert R. Cisneros, Jr.Juan Vargas and Nydia M. Velázquez.