ABC Shelves ‘Juarez,’ May Encounter Protests

“Juarez,” which was to have been the first dramatic TV series with a predominantly Latino cast, was shelved this week by ABC without ever having been aired, prompting one leader of a local Latino arts organization to call for a letter-writing campaign in protest.

ABC spokesman Bob Wright cited scheduling changes and “creative differences” for the cancellation.

Two episodes for “Juarez” had been completed and three others had been ordered. The series was to be about a Latino sheriff’s detective, played by Benjamin Pratt Banda, and his life in El Paso and its twin city across the Mexican border, Juarez.

ABC originally had scheduled the first broadcast of the series for Jan. 16, then had rescheduled it for a February date.

“I’m very disappointed in the network,” said Ivy Orta, national chairwoman of the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences.

“I saw the pilot,” Orta said. “It’s done very well. Why didn’t (ABC) give it a chance? At a time when there are fewer and fewer roles for Hispanics (on television) and there’s a show that is positive in nature, they cancel it without even giving it a chance.”

Orta said she will urge members to write letters of protest to ABC, urging the network to reconsider its decision.

Wright said ABC still is interested in developing a dramatic series dealing primarily with Latino characters and may consider “re-developing” “Juarez” in the future. But reviving it for this season was definitely ruled out, he said.

Jeffrey Bloom, the show’s writer, director and executive producer, said ABC’s decision didn’t come as a complete surprise, explaining that the first “Juarez” episodes had to be re-shot because they did not meet the image that network executives expected of a Southwestern border town.

“They kept asking for beauty shots,” Bloom said of the ABC executives, adding that one even asked: “ ‘Where are the cactuses? Where are the adobe (houses)?’ They wanted it to have the coffee-table look of a Georgia O’Keeffe painting.

“We gave them a show we considered to be very substantial, but which had sort of a gritty appearance, because it was shot in El Paso,” Bloom said. “I gave them a show of a very real city, with very real people.”

ABC’s Wright declined to respond to Bloom’s comments.

Earlier this month, Bloom had talked to members of the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences about the opportunities that programs such as “Juarez” could provide.

“It was the best thing we had going for us,” academy member and actress Irma Garcia recalled of the meeting. “ ‘Juarez’ ” was going to open so many doors.”

Bloom said the predominantly Mexican population of El Paso provided an opportunity to present a positive portrayal of Latinos as a mainstream community.

Orta agreed. “It’s not really a show about Hispanics, it’s a show about people who happen to be Hispanic.” She said that “Juarez’s” format was similar to urban police shows such as “Hill Street Blues.”

“I don’t think we (Latinos) mind being shown realistically,” she said. “What we do mind is not being given the opportunity to be presented as professionals.”