Did anyone catch the pilot episode of commercial television's "first hispanic drama" last night? It's great that Latino actors are finally getting a break in Hollywood with such plum roles: drug dealers, corrupt federales, money-laundering Catholic priests... Progress is progress! Do I hear an "Olé!"?
I TiVo'd it and will watch it tonight.... Don't whine about Latinos being portrayed in a negative light. Ever heard of the Sopranos? Besides, there are plenty of Latinos in tv that are portrayed in a positive light. There was one on Third Watch (who's now in Kingpin) and there's Greetings from Arizona and the George Lopez Show.
Were all the actors in Kingpin Hispanic? Nope Anyways, in the Sopranos the only main character who's not an Italian-American in real life is Steve van Zandt.
I watched it until the part when the drug dealer guy said, "I'm going outside to pet my tiger." Latin version of the Sopranos, it is not. I it give a thumbs down. Muy Malo.
I thought Edward James Olmos was pretty good in Stand and Deliver, even if all his students were still stereotypes. But he wasn't a drug dealer, corrupt fed, etc. Agreed about the show being a little much. I'll give it one more chance, but this show's definitely not all that, as it was hyped to be. Of course, I'll have to tape part 2, as the brain surgeons at NBC put this up head-to-head against The Shield.
I didn't watch it, but when I saw the ads for Kingpin, it just struck me as a Latino version of The Sopranos.
i thought it was alright... but did they have to kill the young, f'ed up mexican kid right away? i mean that kid was hysterical...a total lune and i was kinda beginning to like him, then they go and wack him while updergoing plastic surgery? bummer...
And Scarface(although played by a non hispanic) had everyone wishing they had a coke habit, a gun, and a spanish accent.
Uh, what was in the graphic, Oman? All I see is a blocker from adequate.com. Last night's show was pretty good, but damn this show is choppy compared to the Sopranos. I am impressed with how, in each episode, Miguel pulls off some major execution or kidnapping, yet we never see him give the order. Here's hoping Brian Benben's character gets knocked off with a quickness...
Last night's episode was much better than the first and I actually enjoyed the first one. A bit more hardcore (ie the way they deal with the general) and a bit of humor (the bullet proof charm necklace). It is a bit choppy compared to The Sopranos, but I see potential in it and will continue to watch.
It's no Sopranos, but then again it is limited by being on a network. I enjoy it and can't wait to see what happens in the next four eps.
It's okay at best and I won't watch again. I saw it and did find it a little weird that the main character has a anglo trophy wife. I think the only reason that they put her in the show was so you country folk can relate.That's the same reason that their was a white girl in scarface.
Re: It's okay at best and I won't watch again. You are kidding, right? No one from Ciudad Juarez or El Paso ever goes away to college and marries an anglo. I've got to show this to my mexican-american wife...from El Paso, with family in Juarez...met me in college...agreed to marry me despite my "anglo"-ness. Now I'm not a "trophy" husband but... Many people in Ciudad Juarez/El Paso are anglos and many marry one. Plus hispanics are number one in the US for "mixed" marriages... http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2003/01/rodriguez.htm Back to the show, I like it. I think it is doing ok so far but could easily start going astray like some of the Sopranos episodes. I haven't minded the constraints of network tv yet but I think those will begin to grate on me over time.
Something tells me that even if Miggy's little brother Chato makes it out of this series alive, "Li'l Chato" ain't making it out of Episode 5.