There is no better time to be watching TV. As our fall season round-up suggested, there are plenty of shows with Latino leads making the rounds — whether in broadcast networks or on the streaming airwaves. As midseason approaches (aka the second half of what was network TV’s traditional model), we decided to find yet again all the dramas and comedies you should be looking out for in the coming months. Thus, while fall staples like Superstore, How to Get Away with Murder, Charmed and newcomers that premiered a few months back like Stumptown (which co-stars Adrian Martinez) and Almost Family (with Victoria Cartagena) will be back with new episodes, we’ve narrowed the following list to shows kicking off new seasons this winter to binge as you recover from the holidays.
And while we’re all still waiting for faves like One Day at a Time and Mr. Iglesias as well as newcomers like NeXt (which will star Brazilian-American actress Fernanda Andrade) to announce their returns, we restricted the list to ones that have set firm dates coming up. From Latino reboots of beloved ’90s and ’00s dramas to star vehicles featuring Rosario Dawson, this list should come in handy as you set up your DVRs so you don’t miss any of the great upcoming shows.
NEW SHOWS
AJ and the Queen (Netflix)
RuPaul stars as Ruby Red, a larger-than-life but down-on-her-luck drag queen who travels across America from club to club in a rundown 1990s van, in order to recoup the savings recently stolen from her. She’s paired up with AJ, a recently orphaned, tough-talking, scrappy 11-year-old white girl stowaway. As these two misfits – one tall, one small – travel from city to city, Ruby’s message of love and acceptance winds up touching people and changes their lives a little for the better. In addition to co-starring Puerto Rican Josh Segarra as the scammer that grifted Ruby, the dragtastic show will feature guest appearances by Drag Race faves like Valentina, Bianca del Rio, Alexis Mateo and Miss Vanjie.
AJ and the Queen premieres January 1, 2020 on Netflix.
Deputy (FOX)
This Stephen Dorff-starrer is a modern cop drama that blends the spirit of a classic Western with a modern-day attitude and gritty authenticity. When the Los Angeles County’s Sheriff dies, an arcane rule forged back in the Wild West thrusts the most unlikely man into the job: a fifth-generation lawman named Bill Hollister, more comfortable taking down bad guys than navigating a sea of politics. He leads a skilled team of ambitious and complicated human beings who won’t rest until justice is served. The drama co-stars Jane the Virgin‘s Yara Martinez as Dr. Paula Reyes, Bill’s supportive wife.
Deputy premieres January 2, 2020 at 9 pm on FOX.
Party of Five (Freeform)
The beloved ’90s drama about a group of kids growing up without their parents gets a 2020 reboot over at Freeform – only this time it comes with a ready-made timely narrative: The series follows the five Acosta children as they navigate daily struggles after their parents are deported back to Mexico. Until they find a way to get their parents back in the country, these five kids will have to find a way to make it on their own. The pilot episode, which sets up the premise, was directed by Rodrigo García.
Party of Five premieres January 8, 2020, at 9 p.m. on Freeform.
Little America (Apple TV+)
Inspired by the true stories featured in Epic Magazine, Little America is a new anthology scripted series that tells funny, romantic, heartfelt and surprising stories about immigrants from Mexico, Singapore, India, Uganda, Syria, Iran, and Nigeria who come to the United States. One episode of this Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon-executive produced show focuses on Marisol, an undocumented teenager from Mexico who navigates the rarefied world of competitive squash with the help of her coach who inspires her to dream big — on and off the court.
Little America premieres on Apple TV+ on January 17, 2020.
Diary of a Future President (Disney+)
Elena (Tess Romero) is a 12-year-old Cuban-American girl who attends middle school and must make her way through the personal and social pressures of adolescence. Told through Elena’s narration as written in her diary, the series follows the daily events of her life and her interactions with friends and family. She lives with her older brother, Bobby; and mother, Gabi, who develops a new relationship with Sam, a lawyer from her firm. Elena has a strong desire to become a president of the United States, which is made visible through flashforwards to her political campaign as an adult where she’s played by the show’s very own executive producer Gina Rodriguez.
Diary of a Future President premieres on Disney+ on January 17, 2020.
Briarpatch (USA)
Sparked by the mysterious death of her sister, Felicity, Washington political fixer Allegra “Pickle” Dill (Rosario Dawson) returns home to the small Texas town where she grew up. Tenacious, direct and in defiance of local police captain Gene Colder (Brian Geraghty), Dill begins to interrogate old childhood acquaintances, such as estate attorney A.D. Singe (Edi Gathegi) and the self-made mogul Jake Spivey (Jay R. Ferguson), with hopes of finding answers. As in all good mysteries, with every discovery she makes, more questions arise — like why are exotic zoo animals running wild all over town?
Briarpatch premieres February 6, 2020 on USA Network.
Katy Keene (The CW)
Riverdale gets its very first spinoff with Katy Keene (well, second, if you count Sabrina as taking place roughly in the same Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa-run TV universe as the red-headed murder-mystery teen drama). Taking place roughly five years after Riverdale, the show follows Archie comics character Katy Keene (Lucy Hale) an aspiring fashion designer trying to navigate her way in New York City, Riverdale fave Josie (Ashleigh Murray) as well as Jorge/Ginger Lopez (Puerto Rican actor Jonny Beauchamp), an aspiring Broadway performer who wants to take his drag career to the next level).
Katy Keene premieres February 6, 2020 at 8 p.m. on the CW.
RETURNING SHOWS
Manifest (NBC)
Mystery series have yet to capture audiences’ imaginations since LOST , but Manifest has clearly come closest to matching the wild ride that was that show. As its first episode outlined, the show follows a group of passengers aboard Montego Air Flight 828, flying from Jamaica to New York City, which experiences a brief period of severe turbulence after which they learn that over five and a half years have passed while they were in the air, during which time they were presumed dead. As they reintegrate themselves into present-day society, the passengers begin to face the fact that their lives — and loved ones — are not the same as they were before, while they also begin to experience guiding voices and visions representing events yet to occur. The show stars J. R. Ramirez as Jared Vasquez, a detective at the NYPD’s 129th Precinct who finds that his fiancée returning five years after he’s already moved on and had married her best friend.
Manifest returns January 6, 2020 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
Criminal Minds (CBS)
CBS’s long-running procedural, now entering its fifteenth and final season, follows a group of behavioral profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), who use behavioral analysis and profiling to investigate crimes. Following both a crime-of-the-week formula as well as season-long arcs that have kept viewers coming back for more, Criminal Minds boasts Adam Rodriguez among its current cast. The Yonkers-born actor plays Luke Alvez, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and who joined the BAU after helping the team nab the serial killers at the start of the show’s twelfth season.
Criminal Minds returns January 8 at 9 p.m. on CBS.
Station 19 (ABC)
This Shonda Rimes-produced show – existing in the Grey’s Anatomy world – follows a group of heroic firefighters of the Seattle Fire Department at Station 19. That includes lieutenant Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz), who’s the co-captain of the station as well as the daughter of Captain Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval), making this series a truly family affair that mixes emotional rollercoasters with action-packed sequences.
Station 19 returns January 23, 2020, at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
The beloved FOX comedy may no longer be at its first home (it moved to NBC last season) but the change in network has done nothing to lessen the spark that made it must-see TV. The police procedural comedy television series stars Andy Samberg as a lovable loudmouthed detective, Andre Braugher as a stern captain, Stephanie Beatriz as no-nonsense Rosa Diaz and Melissa Fumero as a tightly wound (and newly appointed) sergeant. Their hijinks run the gamut from slapstick comedy to some of the best recurring jokes on network TV.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns February 6, 2020, at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Narcos: Mexico (Netflix)
This Diego Luna-starring action drama returns for its second season as it continues telling the story of the birth of the Guadalajara cartel as well as trace the origins of the Mexican drug war. Down one of its leading men (RIP Michael Peña’s DEA agent, Kiki Camarena), the second season will introduce Scoot McNairy as Walt Breslin, a hardened DEA agent who’s served as the show’s narrator and now will take center stage in front of the camera. The face-off between Breslin and Luna’s Félix Gallardo will drive much of the story of this second season of Narcos: Mexico, further illuminating the pivotal 1980s decade in Mexico.
Narcos: Mexico returns to Netflix on February 13, 2020.
Roswell, New Mexico (The CW)
Yet another reboot from the good old WB days, Roswell, New Mexico returns to the novel that first birthed that Katherine Heigl early 2000s drama. After returning to her hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason), who is the daughter of undocumented immigrants, discovers her teenage crush is an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect, but when a violent attack points to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him. The series returns for its second season this spring.
Roswell, New Mexico returns March 16, 2020, at 9 p.m. on the CW.