After four seasons on the air, Ugly Betty, the show about a young, bright Latina trying to survive in the cutthroat world of a fashion magazine, will end its run tonight. And media experts say that there will be a void left on television.
Led by America Ferrera, who won an Emmy for playing the title role, the Ugly Betty cast included several Latinos (Ana Ortiz and Tony Plana), and the show’s long list of guest stars also included well-known Latino actors (including Salma Hayek, Freddy Rodriguez and Adam Rodriguez).
The National Latino Media Council, which each year grades the four major networks on diversity efforts, has singled out the show for its depiction of Latinos and for leading the way for Latino-helmed shows.
Ugly Betty, which was an immediate hit when it began in September 2006 and won numerous honors for its cast and crew, has shown networks that a Latino-led show can be successful with mainstream audiences.
Based on the popular Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea, the show was developed by Hayek, who is also an executive producer.
Betty Suarez was an educated, hard-working and family-oriented Latina, who was ambitious and career-driven. Such a character never existed before on American TV, said Federico Subervi, a communications professor at Texas State University-San Marcos, where he’s the director of the Center for the Study of Latino Media & Markets. “The show has had an impact. It’s diversified the images of Latinos on television. It’s created a new role model for Latinos,” he said.
Other positive depictions of Latinos on the show, he said, included the interaction of the Suarez family, who “solved their problems amicably” and often showed each other love and respect.
As for the show’s lasting impact of increasing the number of Latinos on TV and expanding the type of roles for Latinos, media experts say that that’s up to Latino actors and producers.
“It will depend on pressure from the Salma Hayeks, the Jimmy Smitses, the Latino actors in Hollywood and on pressure from the public to networks to include more Latinos,” Subervi said. “That type of pressure will bring about inclusion.”
Source: 2.journalnow.com
As time slots go, “Ugly Betty” fans knew things couldn’t get any worse. Instead, things may be about to get a lot better for the struggling comedy.
