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 "Gang Related," premiering on Thursday, centers on Detective
Ryan Lopez, played by Ramon Rodriguez, a gang member who is part
of the Los Angeles Police Department's gang task force, and
forced to hide his ties to the gang family he was brought up in.
The Fox Broadcasting series is created by Chris Morgan, the
writer of the last five "Fast & Furious" car-racing films, who
said he wanted to explore the origins of gang culture in Los
Angeles, a theme that he believes has larger resonance.
"If you look at the history of our country, we actually are
founded on gangs," Morgan told Reuters. "People have come to
America searching for the American dream, and a lot of the times
because of their background or their ethnicity, they were shut
out."
In the show, a young orphaned Ryan is rescued and taken in by
mob boss Javier Acosta (Cliff Curtis), who becomes a father
figure to him, telling him to get trained in the military and
infiltrate the police forces in order to report back to him.
But after his cop partner is killed by a member of his own gang,
Ryan finds his allegiances fraying, and he begins to play a
dangerous game to do what he thinks is right, a path that holds
many challenges said actor Rodriguez.
"My heart broke for him because he doesn't get to be vulnerable
often," the actor said. "I think everything he's done wears on
his soul and conscience, and he carries a very big burden, and I
would never want to deal with that."
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To prepare for his role, Rodriguez went on ride-alongs with Los
Angeles police and learned that many of the areas that were formerly
dominated by black gangs, have now been overtaken by Mexican or
South Americans, something that Javier echoes in the pilot when he
menacingly utters "Brown is the new Black."
Set against the backdrop of a Los Angeles that isn't often showcased
in Hollywood fare, "Gang Related" delves into neighborhoods such as
Korea Town and East Los Angeles to show gang communities formed by
minorities.
The show's producer Brian Grazer said the city plays a key character
in the arc of the show's series.
"The concept of the show is born out of LA and it's such a secular
city and because of the topography of it, it hasn't really been shot
in a cool way in a long time," he said.
"Ultimately what the show is supposed to do is create empathy and
understanding of both sides. Why people go into gangs, why people
get trapped into gangs, and how difficult it is to get out," he
added.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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