ABC’s new show “Promised Land, follows two Latinx families competing for power in wine country. Between the layers of drama, is a story full of meaning, and even a Bakersfield connection.
John Ortiz plays Joe Sandoval: patriarch of an affluent latinx family in the heart of Sonoma Valley.
“[We] have an all-Latin cast tell a Latin story, exclusively written by an all-Latin writing staff. So, it’s as authentic as it can get,” Ortiz told 23ABC’s Kristin Vartan. It’s also quite universal, because it’s simply to me to me put as, ‘people swinging for the fences to achieve their dreams.’”
In the show, the Sandovals have achieved the american dream and are vying to keep it–while other characters are still on the road to theirs.
“Having those two families, and those storylines of ‘what happens when you achieve those dreams, and you’re living the life, and then the more scrappy version and more humble of, ‘I don’t have what I have,’ but where I’m at is not who I am,” Ortiz said.
One scene in the show even takes place in Bakersfield. For the almost 55 percent of Kern County who identify as Latinx, according to the U.S. Census, Ortiz said a multifaceted story about Latinx people may create a deeper connection to the show.
“What i love about this show is that it’s a multigenerational show, so you have not only Joe and Letti's first generation story, but you have the second generation and you have the notions and ideas and challenges of assimilation,” Ortiz said. “‘How do you fit into this new world? What do you choose to keep from your heritage that you are proud of?’”
According to Ortiz, there’s a lot to be proud of.
“I love how unapologetic the success of this family is,” Ortiz said “They are rich, they are wealthy, they made it, and it shouldn’t be looked at as an exception.”
New episodes of Promised Land air every Monday at 10 p.m. on 23ABC. It’s also streaming on Hulu.
