With the release of USC’s Annenberg Center’s Diversity in Entertainment Report on Monday, it’s probably good timing that NBC has three shows on its primetime slate that feature Latina leads.

Those shows are Shades of Blue, starring and executive produced by multi-hyphenate star Jennifer Lopez; Superstore, starring America Ferrara who broke through a few barriers with her earlier starring role in ABC’s Ugly Betty; and Telenovela, starring and executive produced by Eva Longoria. On Tuesday, NBC renewed Superstore for a second season.

Latinas aren’t invisible on U.S. primetime — after all, Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara is TV’s highest paid leading lady, points out the Minneapolis Star Tribune — but they also aren’t usually casting directors’ go-to stars. What’s important to note is that these actresses aren’t just starring in these shows, they are also producing them. As many have noted, getting diverse talent behind the camera is as important, if not more, as getting them in front of it.

Executive producing is a role that Longoria in which has grown comfortable. First known for playing Gabrielle Solis in ABC’s Desperate Housewives, Longoria has gone on to produce such shows as Lifetime’s Devious Maids, which starred an all-Latina cast, and now Telenovela, which also features lots of Latinos in starring roles.

“Did I intentionally start producing to help Latinos? I actually started producing because I like bossing people around, and I’m really good at it,” said Longoria, according to the Star-Tribune. “I think there’s a lot to be done on having more diversity in front of the camera, but it starts behind the camera.”

“We need a pipeline, and the only way that you can become a network executive is if you touch every rung of the ladder in production, be a producer, be a director, know how TV is made, and then rise in the ranks,” Longoria continued.

A strong sign that the broadcast networks are heading in a good direction on the executive side is last week’s elevation of Channing Dungey to president of ABC Entertainment, the first African-American to have ever held such a role.

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In general, ABC has been on the forefront when it comes to diversity. Shonda Rhimes, the architect of ABC’s hit line-up of soapy TGIT programming, is credited with ushering in primetime’s current state of diversity. She initially approached casting Grey’s Anatomy with a colorblind eye, featuring Asian and African-Americans such as Sandra Oh, Isaac Washington, James Pickens, Jr., and Chandra Wilson in key roles.

From there, Rhimes went on to cast Kerry Washington as the lead in Scandal and then Viola Davis as the lead in How to Get Away with Murder. Washington’s been nominated for an Emmy, while Davis won one last year.

ABC also has such shows on its air as Black-ish, a sitcom about an African-American family living in the white suburbs; Fresh Off the Boat, about how a Taiwanese family assimilates into American life; and Quantico, which stars Indian actress Priyanka Chopra.

Still, NBC’s primetime moves seem to indicate that all of the broadcasters believe it makes good sense to move toward color-blind casting and representing more points of view. On March 9, NBC returns with The Carmichael Show, starring an all-black cast.

With the industry now in the midst of pilot season, we’ll see where the broadcast nets go next when it comes to diversity.

Read more: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

[Image of Jennifer Lopez in Shades of Blue courtesy of NBC]

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