In the mid-70's, the networks discovered that there were still some under-served audiences watching their programs.
After James Komack scored a hit for NBC with Chico & The Man, someone at ABC thought that it was time for a domestic family comedy about a Latino family. However, Viva Valdez lasted just three months in 1976, and I think it was because viewers weren't ready. The Jeffersons, a spin-off from All in The Family, was in its second year. Another branch off the Norman Lear tree, Sanford & Son, was headed toward its final season on NBC. ABC was also home to Barney Miller & Welcome Back, Kotter, a pair of hit series with multi-racial casts.
While I never saw Viva Valdez, I can only speculate that the biggest reason why it failed was because viewers looked at this as a generic family sitcom with a Latino beat, and while African-American-based shows such as Jeffersons & Sanford had gained a foothold with viewers, it would take longer for a Latino family to find the same comfort zone.
Gilmore Box offers the intro:
Carmen Zapata was also starring on PBS' Villa Allegre around this same time. James Victor is better remembered for his later work on the remake of Zorro for the Family Channel (now Freeform) in the 90's.
No rating.
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