ABC's "Promised Land" Is a Bold and Authentic Family Drama

quotPromised Land is an epic generationspanning dramaquot Lopez explained during the series39 virtual premiere event last week quotThe story of the Sandoval family is a tale of love hope ambition and intrigue Promised Land is about the beauty and cost of chasing your dreams That makes it an immigrant story as much as it does one about the American DreamquotAs the child of immigrants I can attest to the fact that the American Dream has changed since its cultural inception For most it39s no longer about a twostory house white picket fence and a family car Those who come from outside the US are simply seeking a better life security and stability and they want to work hard to provide for their families a better life than they hadThe Sandovals have found success as the owners of a profitable winery in Sonoma Valley Accordingly ABC and event partner Bon Appamp233tit opened the virtual premiere with a special wine and foodpairing mini masterclass with sommelier and host Andre Hueston Mack Taking viewers on a quick culinary journey he shared some tips on how to find the perfect wine for one39s individual tastes and some fun facts regarding the wine industry of today quotWhile California is the biggest producer of wine in the US Germany drinks the most sparkling wine than anywhere else They39ve got us beatquot he laughed After that Lopez welcomed guests to Heritage House the Sandoval family39s quotpromised landquotThe story begins in Mexico with young Juana and her sister Rosa traveling across the border to the US in pursuit of their own American Dreams Juana aspires to be a teacher and Rosa a nurse On their tumultuous journey the two women meet young Carlos who is on his way to work at the Heritage House vineyard in Sonoma Valley CaliforniaThe owners of Heritage House are led by patriarch Joe Sandoval John Ortiz who is setting up his Stanfordeducated daughter Veronica Christina Ochoa to take over the family business Her little sister Carmen Mariel Molino is a budding graphic designer who feels left in Veronica39s shadow while Mateo Augusto Aguilera the vineyard39s general manager seeks his stepfather39s approval and wants to rise in the ranks of the company Junior Miguel Angel Garcia seems to want little to do with the business and just wants to enjoy his high school experience while Antonio Tonatiuh feels estranged from his father due to his queer identity The family has gathered to celebrate the anniversary of Joe and his second wife Letti Cecilia SuarezIn the tradition of Dallas Dynasty Falcon Crest and other prime time serials once the family is fully assembled much drama ensues Make no mistake it belongs in the company of those classic serials Just look at the photo at top We learn that Antonio was next in line of succession to take over Heritage House but his troubled relationship with Joe has all but killed those aspirations Joe secretly meets with his first wife and the mother of his children Margaret Bellamy Young whose father previously owned Heritage House she39s plotting to take the company back from Joe Carlos Juana and Rosa connect to the Sandoval family in a much bigger way that I didn39t see coming As to not give too much away buckle up for a classic ABC drama twist in the vein of ScandalThe dynamics between the many relationships throughout the family are spot on The devotion of the parents to religion the machismodriven old fashion attitude from Joe a tickedoff parent of Latino heritage switching from English to Spanish with subtitlesTake it from me The children of immigrants feel an immense amount of pressure to build on their parents39 sacrifices and struggles We see this especially with Camila who hasn39t found her place within the family business and has a talent for design she hasn39t committed to pursuing Also Antonio39s distancing from his father likely after he came out happens an awful lot in the Latinx community because so many are devout Christians or CatholicsJon Ortiz39s performance as Joe a man desperate to protect his business and his family at any cost is incredibly layered and complex You can see through his eyes and expression that there is much struggle and pain underneath his calm and cool demeanor Similarly Tonatiuh39s portrayal of Antonio carries an underlying bitterness against his father while he puts on a brave face for his family Christina Ochoa ably handles the struggles ofamp160a young woman who isn39t too sure of what it she wants in life in her case running the family business or pursuing her own aspirations whatever they may be She exudes confidence and strength but like her costars a brief but effective sense of vulnerability in her eyes brilliantly enhances her performanceThis ensemble of siblings whether bloodrelated or not are seeking their patriarch39s approval in one way or another Promised Land handles it in a way we haven39t seen before because it39s just as much about sibling rivalry interfamilial conflicts and generational differences In what culturally rich family whether Latinx Greek Italian Irish or Jewish do the children not seek daddy39s acceptance and approval We39ve seen this since Shakespeare39s King Lear but adding in the complexities of Latinx cultures the American Dream broken marriages and LGBTQ identity keeps everything fresh I applaud Lopez for handling all of this with such dynamic authenticityPromised Land premieres Monday January 24 at 10 pm ET on ABC New episodes stream the following day on HuluClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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ABC's "Promised Land" Is a Bold and Authentic Family Drama

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Juan Ayala

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ABC's "Promised Land" Is a Bold and Authentic Family Drama

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