Al Madrigal Signs Multi-Year Overall Deal with CBS Studios

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Al Madrigal is lookin’ to develop new projects for CBS Studios…

The 50-year-old half-Mexican American comedian, writer, actor and producer has signed a multi-year overall deal with the studio to develop new series for broadcast, cable and streaming services.

Madrigal is currently co-writing, producing, and starring in Guerrillas, a CBS Studios-produced single-camera comedy from Madrigal and Jenny Snyder Urman’s Sutton Street Productions in development at ABC. The series revolves around a lonely efficiency expert (Madrigal) for an oil company who gets kidnapped in South America and ends up working for a disorganized group of guerrilla soldiers to earn back his freedom.

“We are delighted to make our relationship with Al official,” said Kate Adler, EVP Comedy Development, CBS Studios. “We have been fans of his comedy for years. Al is an extraordinary talent both behind and in front of the camera. We are convinced there is nothing he can’t do…aside from speak proficient Spanish. He tells us he’s working on that.”

Madrigal is one of today’s most successful comedians, credited with breaking down barriers for Latinos in the industry and crossing over to become a writer, producer and entrepreneur.

Madrigal and fellow comedian, Bill Burr, co-founded All Things Comedy (ATC) Over the past five years, ATC has created a digital video platform, original podcasts, production company, comedy record label, television and feature distribution, and a social media consultancy and branded content agency. It’s currently the leading comedy podcast network featuring shows hosted by some of the industry’s top comedians and has over 15 million listeners and 50+ shows.

On television, Madrigal is best known as the Senior Latino Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a series regular and writer on Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, and served as a writer, actor, and producer on the CBS show, Broke.

Madrigal’s film credits include his standout role as Dan the assistant basketball coach in The Way Back, with co-star Ben Affleck for Warner Bros. Madrigal has also been seen in Night School, alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, and next year, he will play Agent Rodriquez in Sony’s Morbius, alongside Jared Leto.

Madrigal’s stand-up career took-off when he won a jury award for best stand-up comedian at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. He went on to sign a talent holding deal with CBS, which led to his special, Comedy Central Presents. Madrigal went on to complete his first one hour special, Why Is the Rabbit Crying?. The special premiered on Comedy Central and was named one of the top 10 comedy specials of 2013 by both Westword and The Village Voice. In 2017, his critically acclaimed one-hour special, Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy premiered on Showtime.

“I’m excited to continue to collaborate with David, Kate, Alec, Sean and everyone at CBS Studios to write and produce stories that have largely been absent from television,” said Madrigal. “I’m of course talking about overweight white guys married to women way out of their league.”

Lisa Vidal to Star in the Crime-Action Heist Feature “Shelter”

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Lisa Vidal is sheltering…

The 56-year-old Puerto Rican actress will star in the crime-action heist feature Shelter.

Vidal joins a cast that includes Cam Gigandet, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Carlos Miranda and Hollywood newcomer Sasha Merci.

In pre-production, filming is scheduled to start shortly in Los Angeles on the movie about the head of a secret organization who assembles a crew to steal back artwork from a neo-Nazi billionaire oligarch who plundered it during World War II.

Produced by Jolene Rodriguez of Broken English productions and financed by Ruben Islas’ Grandave Capital, the film is an original screenplay by Michael Corcoran, directed by Anthony Nardolillo.

“I’m thrilled to work with such a talented group. I’ve followed many of their careers and to make a movie with them is such a privilege. Shelter is a great example of taking any script and making it inclusive. It takes effort but it’s possible and it matters,” said Rodriguez.

Vidal has starred on ABC’s The Baker and The Beauty, BET TV series Being Mary Jane and Grey’s Anatomy.

Ortiz will star in her fifth season of Shondaland’s ABC series Station 19 after a successful run in Fox’s Rosewood and a consequent role in Shooter.

Miranda will join the cast of ABC’s Station 19 as a series regular in the coming season and has had recurring roles in Amazon Original series Bosch and Comedy Central’s Ana as well as being a series regular in Starz series Vida.

Merci recently starred in the HBO feature film De Lo Mio.

Jhené Aiko to Appear on “See Us Unite for Change — The Asian American Foundation in Service of the AAPI Community” Special

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jhené Aiko is ready to unite…

The 33-year-old part-Spanish American R&B singer, who is part Japanese, will perform on a television special produced by The Asian American Foundation, the newly formed organization launched to improve AAPI advocacy.

Entitled “See Us Unite for Change — The Asian American Foundation in Service of the AAPI Community,” the special will air on May 21 on a number of channels, including MTV, BET, VH1 and Comedy Central, as well as Facebook Watch.

Other performers include Sting and Saweetie.

TAAF’s launch comes as anti-AAPI hate and violence persist at alarming rates. Actor Ken Jeong will host the special, which will include appearances by Daniel Dae Kim and Lisa Ling and “will feature testimonials from leading Asian American public figures, as well as individuals working to enact change on the ground,” organizers said.

The TV special coincides with TAAF’s See Us Unite campaign, which launched Thursday and is designed to expand support for the AAPI community. The Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation have partnered with TAAF for the campaign, and funds raised will benefit several grassroot-led efforts, including Stop AAPI Hate and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Aiko is one of R&B’s top stars and has achieved multi-platinum status with songs like “Sativa,” “While We’re Young” and “The Worst.”

Chrissie Fit to Appear on Amazon’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” Series

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Chrissie Fit has big summer plans…

The 36-year-old Cuban American actress/singer and former Pitch Perfect star has landed a recurring role on Amazon’s I Know What You Did Last Summer series.

A modern take on the 1997 horror film, the project comes from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios Original Film.

Written by Sara Goodman based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, the I Know What You Did Last Summer series has the same premise as the movie adaptation – in a town full of secrets, a group of teenagers are stalked by a mysterious killer a year after a fatal accident on their graduation night.

Details about Fit’s character have yet to be revealed.

The previously announced cast includes Madison Iseman, Brianne Tju, Ezekiel Goodman, Ashley Moore, Sebastian Amoruso, Fiona Rene, Cassie Beck, Brooke Bloom, Bill Heck and Sonya Balmores.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television. Goodman will write and executive produce. Craig Macneill will serve as director and executive producer for the first episode.

Fit appeared in the Pitch Perfect and Teen Beach Movie franchises. She also acted opposite Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr. in All My Life.

Her additional credits include Lissette Feliciano’s SXSW film Women Is Losers and Comedy Central’s Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens.

Frankie Quinones to Star in Hulu’s Comedy Pilot “Punk Ass Bitch”

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Frankie Quinones is in a real punk…

The Mexican actor/comedian has been cast alongside Michelle Ortiz as series regulars in Punk Ass Bitch, Hulu’s half-hour comedy pilot starring up-and-coming comedian Chris Estrada and produced by ABC Signature.

Written by Estrada and Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop, with Jonathan Groff supervising, Punk Ass Bitch is based on Estrada’s comedy and reflects his Latino identity.

It’s inspired by Estrada’s life in South Central Los Angeles and nearby Inglewood, where, by his own recollection, he spent his formative years running from loose pit bulls, getting robbed, and geeking out over comic books and punk rock.

The series centers on Julio Lopez (Estrada), a punk-ass bitch with a heart of gold who goes out of his way to help everyone but himself. Inspired by the life and stand-up comedy of star, co-creator and real-life punk ass bitch Estrada, the cinematic half-hour comedy explores Julio’s attempts to better his community, overcome his codependency issues with his family and navigate working class life in South Central.

Quinones plays Luis, a tatted up gangster who’s just finished eight years in prison, tough, aggressive, macho, yet immature. He’s not just a hard ex-gangster, he’s someone who also has not grown up yet emotionally.

Ortiz portrays Maggie. Feisty, strong-willed and fierce, Maggie is Julio’s ex, and it’s clear that they still have a spark and hang out together even though they both drive each other crazy.

Estrada executive produces with Fred Armisen, Groff, under his overall deal at ABC Signature, Weisman, Ingebretson and Bishop.

The pilot will be directed by Bishop, who directed all episodes of the Comedy Central series Corporate. Bishop and his Corporate collaborators Weisman and Ingebretson will serve as showrunners.

Quinones was a series regular in TBS comedy series The Dress Up Gang. He also was a member of the voice cast in Victor & Valentino and guest-starred on The Guest Book, among other credits.

Ortiz was a series regular on MADtv. She was most recently seen in recurring roles in Gentefied and Tacoma F.D., and she previously guest-starred on Mom.

NBC Developing Latino Immigrant-Family Comedy Inspired by Chris Garcia’s Own Upbringing

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Chris Garcia is looking to bring his story to the small screen…

NBC has put in development a semi-autobiographical immigrant-family comedy from the Cuban American comedian-writer-actor and Mr. Iglesias creator Kevin Hench.

Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.

Written and executive produced by Garcia and Hench, the multi-generational immigrant-family comedy, inspired by Garcia’s life, is about an anti-communist Cuban father who enrolls in ESL classes at the same high school as his sensitive poetry-loving son.

Garcia is a comedian, television writer, actor, and podcaster from Los Angeles, who has appeared on his own half-hour special on Comedy Central, The Late Late Show with James Corden, This Is Not Happening, Adam Devine’s House Party, and @Midnight.

Garcia was named a New Face at the 2016 Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and a “Comedian You Should and Will Know” by Vulture.

He has written for Comedy Central, Adult Swim, Broadway Video, and Netflix. Garcia’s podcast Scattered was named one of the “10 Best Podcasts of 2019” by TIME Magazine.

Hulu Gives Green Light to Chris Estrada’s Half-Hour Comedy Pilot “Punk Ass Bitch”

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Chris Estrada has a bitchin’ new project…

Hulu has given the green light to Punk Ass Bitch, a half-hour comedy pilot starring the up-and-coming Latino comedian and produced by ABC Signature.

Written by Estrada and Corporate creators Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop, Punk Ass Bitch is based on Estrada’s comedy and reflects his Latino identity.

It is inspired by Estrada’s life in South Central Los Angeles and nearby Inglewood, where, by his own recollection, he spent his formative years running from loose pit bulls, getting robbed, and geeking out over comic books and punk rock.

Estrada executive produces with Fred Armisen,

The pilot, which is already casting, will be directed by Bishop, who directed all episodes of the Comedy Central series Corporate.

Estrada was recently named an “UpNext” Comedian to Watch by Comedy Central and a “Top 10 Comic to Watch” by Time Out LA. He recently performed in a half-hour comedy special Entre Nos for HBO Latino.

Oz Rodriguez Signs Two-Year Producing Deal with Universal Television

Posted on November 15, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

There are more Universal projects in Oz Rodriguez’s future…

The Latino Emmy-winning Saturday Night Live director has signed an exclusive two-year producing deal with Universal Television.

Rodriguez has been with SNL since 2013, first directing Digital Shorts. He went on to become head of the film unit, and won an Emmy for his behind-the-scenes series Creating SNL.

He’s next set to direct all six episodes of SNL star Michael Che’s new HBO Max sketch series from Universal Television.

“We feel so lucky to be solidifying our relationship with Oz, who has been in the family for many years and has played a key role in our success,” said Jim Donnelly, Universal Television EVP of Comedy Development. “He brings a creative vision and distinct visual style to every project he is involved in, and we couldn’t be more excited for all that’s to come.”

Rodriguez just wrapped the pilot of AMC’s Kevin Can F***k Himself. He directed the pilot and multiple episodes of AP Bio, in addition to the Kal Penn/Mike Schur pilot Sunnyside, both for NBC, as well as episodes of Last Man on Earth for Fox, Detroiters for Comedy Central, Shrill for Hulu, and Mixed-ish for ABC.

He most recently directed NBC & Peacock’s 30 Rock reunion, which aired on July 16.

On the film side, Rodriguez wrote and directed Vampires vs. the Bronx for Universal and Broadway Video, which premiered on Netflix earlier this month.

“I am very excited to continue my partnership with Universal Television,” said Rodriguez. “The studio has been my home for the last eight years, starting with my first season of Saturday Night Live. There are so many opportunities at the studio right now and we have a chance to tell stories that reflect characters that have been missing from television for far too long. It feels great to keep this creative partnership going with the studio that gave me my first big break.”

Carlos Miranda to Appear on the Seventh & Final Season of Amazon’s Drama Series “Bosch”

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Miranda is joining the force…

The Latino actor and former Vida star has landed a recurring role in the upcoming seventh and final season of Amazon‘s hit drama series Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling books.

Miranda joins fellow Latino cast newcomer Gino Vento on the series.

Drawing from the novels The Concrete Blonde and The Burning Room, the seventh and final season of Bosch will have Harry Bosch (Welliver) and Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector) pursuing two separate but perilous murder investigations that will take them to the highest levels of white-collar crime and the deadly depths of the street-level drug trade.

and Miranda will portray Det. Chris Collins; Vento will play Mickey.

Amy Aquino, Madison Lintz, and Lance Reddick also star.

Miranda also will be seen in heavily recurring role in the upcoming season of ABC’s Station 19. He was most recently seen in the Starz series Vida and Comedy Central’s Ana.

Vento stars as Nestor Oceteva in FX’s Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans M.C., has also recurred on The Last O.G. and The Deuce.

Quibi Renews Carlos Alazraqui’s “Reno 911!” Reboot for a Second Season

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alazraqui won’t stop serving and protecting… and bringing the funny… just yet.

Quibi has ordered a second season of its Emmy-nominated revival of acclaimed comedy series Reno 911!, starring the 58-year-old Argentine American actor.

The rebook, which debuted in early May, reunites the original cast. The second batch of Season 1’s 25 episodes bowed last week.

Reno 911! lets viewers ride along with the courageous men and women of the Reno Sheriff’s Department as they lay down the law and put it all on the line. The camera doesn’t blink — and when danger is near, the Reno Sheriff’s Department will be nearer.

In addition to Alazraqui, the core original cast of the mockumentary series includes Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Niecy Nash, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Cedric Yarbrough, Ian Roberts, Joe Lo Truglio and Mary Birdsong.

“We are thrilled about the pickup, but we’re even more thrilled about getting to leave our living rooms for the first time in five months,” series co-creators Lennon, Ben Garant and Kenney-Silver said in a joint statement.

Reno 911! ran for six seasons from 2003-09 on Comedy Central.

Reno 911! is vying for Primetime Emmys this month in two categories: Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series and Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for Kenney-Silver.

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