If there’s one thing you’ll see a lot of on Alternatino with Arturo Castro it’s Arturo Castro. The Broad City and Narcos actor is taking on all kinds of roles in his newest sketch show. An outgrowth of his webseries of the same name the Comedy Central production falls in line with shows from Amy Schumer, Nick Kroll, Jordan Peele, and Keegan-Michael Key that used taped comedy sketches to poke fun at everyday situations. Playing everything from a depressed robot assistant and a frazzled redheaded girl at a wedding to a blonde ICE agent advocating for “cage-free lifestyles” and a spokesperson for Guatemala’s tourism board (with the new tagline #alsoaplace), Castro is intent on putting his comedic skills to great use.
And, as its title suggests, much of the humor will tackle head-on the many misconceptions and stereotypes that hamper Latinos all over the United States. In the show’s first full-length trailer, for example, you see the Guatemalan actor trying to impress a girl on a date who was clearly expecting a kind of “Latin Lover.” But, despite his floral silk shirt (and a hilarious Spanish-language faux-fight on the salsa dance floor), it’s clear he won’t live up to what she wants. “There’s more than one type of Latino,” he tells her while on a cab. “And I’m not gonna fulfill some stereotype just to make somebody happy, I’m sorry.” As she looks aghast at him, the cab driver turns around delivering a brutal punchline: “Hey man, aren’t you that drug dealer from Narcos?”
It’s but one moment that remind us that while Latinx comedians like John Leguizamo, George Lopez, Aubrey Plaza, Julio Torres, Al Madrigal, Melissa Villaseñor, Gabriel Iglesias and Cristela Alonzo have clearly been making inroads in the US comedy scene, it’s still refreshing to see a Latinx point of view be the guiding force behind a primetime sketch show. “Comedy Central has been my home for the past 6 years, my literal home, they have big offices and central heating. I couldn’t imagine better partners to bring this show to life,” said Castro. “I’m honored to be a part of this family and to have the opportunity to amplify the voice of a community that seems to be under siege at the moment.”
Take a look at the many wigs Castro dons in the new show Alternatino with Arturo Castro‘s first trailer below.
Alternatino with Arturo Castro premieres June 18, 2019.