We are looking forward to a prosperous and happy new year, one that is healthy and uplifting to everyone. That being said, we would love to see more Latino awesomeness, in all aspects of life, and when we turn on the television and head to the movies. We are here, we are the majority in a lot of places in the United States, and it’s time that pop culture fully reflects that. Here are 13 Latino television shows and films that will premiere in 2019, helping to make Latino visibility happen.
Grand Hotel
Eva Longoria, who executive produced Devious Maids (which featured five Latina actresses in lead roles) is back with another TV project. Grand Hotel premieres on ABC on June 17
and tells the tale of the wealthy Mendoza family, who owns a hotel in Miami. Scandal ensues. The show, which stars Latino actors Demian Bichir, Rosalyn Sanchez, Denyse Tontz, Shalim Ortiz, Justina Adorno, and Feliz Ramirez, is based on the Spanish show of the same name (Gran Hotel).
Dora the Explorer
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Nickelodeon’s animated show Dora the Explorer is headed to the big screen on August 2. The live-action film stars Latinos Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Pena, Eva Longoria, and Benicio del Toro. We will see Dora as a high schooler, and on another adventure, this time to “save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost Inca civilization.”
Knock Down the House
Women made political history in 2018 by fighting for change, and cameras were there to capture it all. The documentary film, Knock Down the House, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019, followed four “extraordinary ordinary” women who ran for Congress–Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cory Bush, and Paula Jean Swearengin.
Las Buchonas
Las Buchonas originally premiered in November of this year, on the video subscription service Blim, but will be heading to Univision in 2019. The story centers around four women who are at first mesmerized by the lavish lifestyle of the narcos. When Aurora’s father is killed, however, she leads a group of women whose goal is to topple the patriarchy.
Alita: Battle Angel
With the main character touted as “the first Latina superhero,” Alita: Battle Angel (based on a manga) heads to theaters on Valentine’s Day. The film, directed by Robert Rodriguez, tells the story of Alita (Rosa Salazar), a cyborg that wakes up in Iron City, with no recollection of the past. She is taken in by Dr. Ido and slowly starts to piece together her history, with ass-kicking consequences.
The Edge of Democracy
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Petra Costa’s documentary, The Edge of Democracy, which is premiering at Sundance, takes a look at Brazil’s political climate. The film is said to have “unprecedented access” to Brazilian presidents Lula da Silva, and Dilma Rousseff, and chronicles the rise and fall of each.
Alternatino with Arturo Castro
We are happy with all the hilarious Latino comedy specials and TV shows that have been sprouting up lately. Next up, in 2019, is Alternatino with Arturo Castro. The Comedy Central show will be a sketch comedy about Castro’s life as a Latino millennial. You can stream some episodes now from the web series version of the show at the Comedy Central site.
Miss Bala
On February 1, you can see Gina Rodriguez kick major ass in the action-thriller film Miss Bala. Rodriguez plays Gloria, who visits her friend in Tijuana, is forced into the local drug cartel, and now must fight to get out. Fellow Latino actors Ismael Cruz Cordova, Cristina Rodlo, Ricardo Abaca, and Aislinn Derbez also star in the film.
Carmen Sandiego
Remember Carmen Sandiego, the villain in the educational computer game of the ’80s, and TV show of the ’90s, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Well, she’s back, on a new animated Netflix show premiering January 18, and she’s being voiced by Gina Rodriguez.
Pacific
According to Variety, Pacific is “Latin America’s first multi-million dollar science fiction horror movie.” The both Colombian and Argentinian production centers on a group who travel to a Pacific island, that they will soon regret ever stepping foot on.
Betty en Nueva York
Betty, the geeky heroine of the massively successful Colombian novela Yo Soy Betty La Fea, the U.S.’s Ugly Betty, and numerous more remakes around the world, is back. In this latest version, she is headed to New York, in Telemundo’s Betty en NY, starring Mexican actress Elyfer Torres.
Cantinflas
Cantinflas is a comedy legend. The equally iconic Charlie Chaplin called the Mexicano the best comedian alive. Born Mario Fortino Alonso Moreno Reyes, he starred in numerous Spanish-language films, as well as the Oscar-winning film Around the World in 80 Days (for which he won a Golden Globe). In 2019, Univision will debut a show on the life of the icon.
Tijuana
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Both Univision and Netflix will premiere Tijuana in 2019. The Spanish-language show is about a group of journalists at Tijuana Weekly, who risk their lives to uncover the truth after a presidential candidate is assassinated.
