Anyone disappointed that the upcoming Scarface remake plans to bring Tony Montana (or his Diego Luna counterpart) to Los Angeles might be somewhat relieved to know that ABC has ordered a pilot for a new series about a Miami crime dynasty called Las Reinas.
The show follows a local detective named Sonya De La Reina who walks the straight and narrow after renouncing her familial links to a local criminal empire. When a tough cases forces her to reconnect with her family, Sonya must once again confront the destiny she’s tried so hard to escape.
While the comparisons to Brian De Palma’s cocaine-fueled classic may only be superficial, Las Reinas certainly has echoes of dirty cop dramas like Shades of Blue and The Shield with the tropical detective setting of CSI Miami. As far as cultural authenticity, don’t hold your breath for anything other than the usual Hollywood clichés about Latinos and family, with the requisite bad accents.
These may be sweeping and unjustified assumptions, but we can say objectively that producer Mark Gordon and featured writer Dean Georgaris – both of whom have made admirable careers for themselves in the film and TV industries – have no history of engagement with Latino stories. That doesn’t mean they won’t spin an engrossing tale of moral ambiguity and familial obligations, and hey, they just might surprise us with some deep reservoir of cultural familiarity. Again, just don’t hold your breath.
Either way, Las Reinas has a long way to go before it makes it to TV screens. Keep a look out for more updates.