MSNBC has given a second season to Emmy and Tony award-winning actor John Leguizamo’s hit docuseries Leguizamo Does America.
The docuseries, created and hosted by Leguizamo, follows Leguizamo inside America’s thriving Latino communities while showcasing the host’s characteristic edge, energy, and wit. Episodes came with a sprinkling of politics and included celebrity guests like comedian George Lopez and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, as well as fascinating local heroes, young actors, community leaders, and more.
The new cities explored in season two will be announced at a later date.
Season one, directed by award-winning director Ben De Jesus and produced by MSNBC Films and NBC News Studios, took Leguizamo to New York, Miami, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico, where he gave a firsthand view of the thriving Latino communities located within each of those cities.
“I’m so excited for the opportunity to go deeper into America and keep exploring Latin excellence and go to the source of our happiness!” Leguizamo said. “More Latin legends dinners, more eating and laughter!”
“The team behind Leguizamo Does America created an illuminating series that is as savvy and clever as it is savory and colorful – told through the lens of one of the most iconic voices of the Latino community,” MSNBC president Rashida Jones said in a statement. “This show proves once again that there is an audience for diverse stories, and we are so excited MSNBC is its home for another season.”
“It’s been such an honor and pleasure to create, develop and produce this series with a partner as talented, brilliant, and passionate as John Leguizamo,” NBC News Studios president Liz Cole said in a statement. “We’re especially proud to help put a spotlight on the Latino community’s rich culture and significant contributions to this country, working with a predominantly Latino editorial and production staff. We had an exciting first season with MSNBC Films, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with them again on season 2.”
Leguizamo Does America was a hit for MSNBC, with the six-part series connecting with a broad multicultural audience that included Hispanic viewers, which comprised 13% of the series audience during its run on MSNBC.
The first season, which premiered on MSNBC on April 16, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET, averaged more adults 25-54 viewers than any previous MSNBC Films series and beat CNN in total weekly viewers during its six-episode run. On Peacock, Leguizamo Does America was the most-viewed MSNBC original in over two years.
Not only is Leguizamo Does America a hit with viewers, but it’s also only earning awards receiving the President’s Award for Impact on Media at the Los Angeles Press Club’s 65th Annual SoCal Journalism Awards.
Congratulations @JohnLeguizamo, host of the @MSNBC Films and @NBCNewsStudios series “Leguizamo Does America,” for receiving the President’s Award for Impact on Media at the @LAPressClub‘s 65th Annual SoCal Journalism Awards. #SoCalAwards pic.twitter.com/sysJ0Js7Xy
— MSNBC Public Relations (@MSNBCPR) June 26, 2023