Sometime ago, former A&E show “Dog the Bounty Hunter” made bounty hunting something to be marveled at. Drawing in a great amount of viewers, audience members weren’t simply dranw to criminals being captured but to its sermon man-hunting bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman and his Bounty Hunting brood. Now, Latino channel Mun2 is bringing in its very own Bounty Hunter reality show called “Fugitivos de la Ley: Los Angeles”.
While the show has an intermingled feel of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and Fox’s “Cops” the show, for legal reasons, contains chases and take-downs that are dramatized by both the cast members and actors hired to play their culprits. Despite dramatizations, the cases seen on the show are based on the group’s actual experiences. It is these stories presented by real-life, or even larger-than-life, characters that has lured in viewers making it a popular show.
The cast includes a Mexican-born but South L.A. raised and pink handcuff toting Liliana Monique Covarrubias, a single mother who works for Lipstick Bail Bonds; a former U.S Marine from Riverside, two federal agents, a firefighter from Pacoima nicknamed Bombero, and a German shepherd named Cooper.
“We are not you Hollywood-looking people,” said Roman Morales III, aged 48, and the former federal police officer and Marine now bounty hunting, “but we are as real as it gets.”
“I was just some chick, but they said they didn’t want an actress,” said Covarrubias, the show’s ony female cast member who received training at Rio Hondo Community College in Whittier. “I love the show because it sets an example: If you do something wrong, we’re going to catch you.”
The show is the bilingual cable channel’s attempt to boost its profile amongst viewers by providing entertainment they will enjoy. And the channel succeeded. With their viewership consisting largely of L.A viewers, the show success is based upon its characters and stories that hit home amongst its Mun2’s viewers. The show has helped Mun2’s viewership grow in its Sunday night airings with its first-quart ratings pulling in 26% from its first quarter of 2012.
Owned by NBC Universal, Mun2 is one of the few Latino networks based in Los Angeles. Other known Latino networks such as Univision and Telemundo are based in Miami. With two-thirds of Latinos in the U.S. being of Mexican descent, Los Angeles is considered one of the representatives of the country’s Latino population. And with Latinos rising in the state, the country too, L.A. Latino viewership is growing amongst its youth.
“Being in L.A. gives us a unique advantage. You can’t be in Hispanic media and not understand the L.A. market,” Diana Mogollon, general manager of Mun2 said. “One out of every two teenagers in L.A. is Hispanic.”
Latinos in Los Angeles shine in the new hit show Fugitivos de la Ley, showcasing Hispanic talent and bringing authentic stories from the city to the screen.
So tune in and see what “Fugitivos de la Ley: Los Angeles” is all about.
