Late Night shows for Latinos

**The following comes from Houston-based colleague Vanessa Astros--a new contributor to our blog.**

I was really happy to hear back in February that Latinos in the U.S. were going to have and "own" a Jay Leno-like late night show. I thought it was a smart move on Telemundo's part and was looking forward to its debut and to see the often called Jerry Seinfeld look-alike in action. It was about time we had a sleek well-produced late night show that targeted younger audiences. But the fairytale didn't last long. The news came recently when the Network announced that the Mas Vale Tarde con Alex Cambert show was going off the air. Telemundo probably really took a hit with this one. Telemundo's efforts to produce unique programming have landed them in a good place and in my opinion have earned them respect. But, were they too quick to think "outside the box"?  Did they stop to think if Hispanics were ready for late night programming? The answer is probably NO. And here's why...

Late night hosts Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien have a unique type of humor, which often pokes fun of celebrities, politicians, and our own President. The sarcasm and tone of this type of late night shows are very unique to American culture, so in order to succeed among a more conservative audience, this probably needed more thought and deeper discussions. As a matter of fact, this might not be fresh in people's mind, but back in 2005 Univision proudly announced the launching of a Ay Que Noche!, a Late-Night show hosted by Cristian de la Fuente (a combination of a David Letterman and Saturday Night Live type of programming). Despite the announcement, the show was never launched.

So will all late night programming in Spanish-language television turn out to be short-lived shows?  I'm not sure; I guess we'll find out soon. Esta Noche Tu Night with Alexis Valdes, which now airs nationally on Mega TV and is offered on satellite packages, has been well received, but has been around only for five months now. Alexis Valdes is a well-known Cuban comedian and actor, and I'm just guessing, but a lot of the show's success might have a lot to do with the fact that the show was first launched in Miami, where as we all know, there's a large Cuban population. The format is very much different from the mainstream late night shows....it reminds me a lot of Otro Rollo...very laid back and less "flashy"...

Well, I'm not an expert...  so I can't really point fingers or say what makes one work and the other not do so well, but I do commend Telemundo for taking the risk and acknowledging that there's an audience out there (although not a very strong one, just yet)....and for thinking "outside the box"...I think we need GOOD comedy in Spanish-language television...and this was probably a good start....so maybe I'll just have to wait a few more years until a new TV show is developed. In the meantime, I'll continue to watch Conan O'Brien, who every now and then has some really funny and silly Spanish skits.