What's Wrong With This Picture?

But diversity goes beyond numbers. Changing George to Jorge doesn't automatically add cultural depth. The question of what counts as a "real" Hispanic character is more complicated than it is for African or Asian Americans, whose physical characteristics help distinguish them. Light-skinned Hispanic actors can end up like Jewish actors have--relegated to playing other ethnicities. Arguably the most visibly Latino character announced last week was campy superhero Bat Manuel (Nestor Carbonell) on Fox's The Tick. On NBC's UC: Undercover, Jon Seda plays a cop named Jake Shaw; on NBC's Crossing Jordan, Miguel Ferrer is Dr. Garrett Macy.

Is an "authentic" Hispanic portrayal one steeped in Hispanic culture? Is it Ramon Estevez, a.k.a. Martin Sheen, playing Anglo President Josiah Bartlet on The West Wing? Does it even have to be played by a Hispanic actor? Spokeswoman Lisa Navarrete of the National Council of La Raza, which makes these distinctions every year when it gives out its ALMA awards in film, TV and music, says the answer is not cut and dried. (The group once even recognized non-Latino Nicholas Turturro for playing a Latino cop on NYPD Blue.) "We want [Hispanic] actors to be able to play Shakespeare and the whole gamut of roles," she says. "But we're also concerned about kids' self-esteem and self-image when they don't see themselves [on TV]."

In fact, one of the few lights for Hispanics on English-language TV is children's TV, especially Nickelodeon, which has two Hispanic family sitcoms, The Brothers Garcia and Taina. And Nick's Dora the Explorer, a cartoon for small children with a Latina heroine and a smattering of Spanish, also runs on CBS's Saturday morning, where it has proved a hit.

It doesn't hurt that children are the most racially diverse--and most Hispanic--segment of the population. Which suggests that the networks and their advertisers may be leaving money on the table. Marketing company Santiago & Valdes Solutions estimates the Hispanic market at $630 billion, and while English-language networks are facing a weak ad market, the Spanish-language Univision and Telemundo are expected to increase their ad sales from 10% to 25% this year. And they aim not just at the "Spanish-dominant" speakers but also bilingual youths. "They've grown up with Spanish music and Spanish stars," says Univision president Ray Rodriguez. "Young Hispanics are now embracing their heritage better." Next year, Univision will launch a second Spanish-language network, reaching 80% of American Hispanics and directly aiming at bilingual viewers currently watching English-language TV.

There are a few signs that the major networks are paying attention too. CBS carries the Latin Grammys and in June begins broadcasting the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful with a Spanish-language track, eyeing Univision and Telemundo's sizable telenovela audience. And last week, NBC signed a deal with Jennifer Lopez to do a music special next fall and develop a sitcom based on her childhood, even though the popular singer-actress is not expected to appear in it. The browning of TV is overdue. But it could just come about because of a different kind of diversity effort: the deep yearning to see more green.