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Through her I Can & I Will production banner at CBS TV Studios, Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez is developing a pair of series about the Latino community at CBS and The CW, respectively.
On CSB, Rodriguez is executive producing HAVE MERCY, based on the German short series Dr. Illegal, which follows a Latina doctor who is unable to practice when she immigrates to the States. She takes a job as a nurse’s assistant, but also opens up a secret clinic in her apartment to serve the community.
Have Mercy was the first project Rodriguez optioned when she signed an overall deal with CBS Studios through I Can & I Will. It will be written and co-executive produced by Queen of the South alum Dailyn Rodriguez. Intrigue Entertainment’s Tariq Jalil and Lucas Carter are also executive producing.
At The CW, Rodriguez and her company’s exec Emily Gipson are developing RAFAEL, from creator Rafael Agustin, which follows a sixteen-year old American high school student who discovers he is undocumented.
Agustin is currently a writer on Jane the Virgin.
Earlier, CBS also put into development Welcome to Maine, a comedy following a multi-generation Maine family and a recent immigrant and his daughter who must all learn to embrace change when they share the same workplace in a tiny rural town.
The network has also picked up a legal drama from Greg Berlanti about multi-racial siblings.
The increase in diverse projects being put into the development cycle comes on the heels of what has become an annual tradition, of CBS executives being grilled about the network’s focus on straight white male stories at the company’s Television Critics’ Association’s press tour panel.
“We can debate and discuss the pace of the change but there is change happening on CBS,” new network Kelly Kahl said at his panel last month. “We have two shows with diverse leads this year that we didn’t have last year. We have a midseason show with a lead character who’s gay. And over the last year, if you look at the number of diverse series regulars, that’s up almost 60 percent. The number of writers we have from diverse backgrounds is up over the last few years, as is directors. We are absolutely moving in the right direction. The number of reality contestants is up dramatically. We are making progress.”
Linda Ge | TV Editor
