Produced by NBC News Studios, Leguízamo Does America is a new six-part documentary series from Colombian actor John Leguízamo as he travels to different cities across the U.S. to explore the country's Latino history. Each episode features a different city and explores Latino heritage, culture, people and landmarks, along with food.

Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico will be showcased through the eyes of the Latino actor, and transport audiences from the Hollywood soundstages to a salsa festival in New York's Spanish Harlem and a sacred Indigenous ceremony in Puerto Rico, all while exploring Latino contributions to American life.

Leguízamo highlighted to NBCNews:

I wanted to do a show where people watch this and say, ‘I wanna be Latino!’ or ‘Damn, too bad I’m not Latino!’

The show

Inspired by celebrity travel shows like CNN's Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico and Netflix's Down to Earth with Zac Efron, the new series focuses on the life experiences of Latinos in the United States — from the origins of the famous bodegas or neighborhood stores in New York to the resident Latina director at the Los Angeles Opera.

In addition to highlighting the cities and the impact of Latino culture on them, the docuseries features appearances by well-known stars of Hispanic origin, among whom stand out:

• George López
• Aida Rodríguez 
• Gloria Calderón Kellett
• Gina Torres
• Carmen Peláez
• Diane Guerrero
• Michael Peña
• Sergio Trujillo
• María Teresa Kumar
• Raúl López

“The history of Latinx is the history of the United States,” says Leguízamo in one of the episodes, where he also highlights that Latinos have played fundamental roles throughout U.S. history — from the Revolutionary War to the birth of hip-hop.

Confronting challenges

Leguízamo takes advantage of each of the episodes to address issues that concern Latino communities, including:

• In New York, controversy is highlighted over the word 'Latinx,' a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina, and why it is so polarizing to some.
• In Los Angeles, emphasis is placed on the challenge of creating stories with Latino themes and characters.
• In Miami, there is talk about how continued immigration has transformed the city's politics.

New show alert! “Leguizamo Does America” premieres Sunday, April 16th at 10pm ET on @MSNBC and is streaming on @Peacock Tune in!! pic.twitter.com/sVNQP5FlBd

— John Leguizamo (@JohnLeguizamo) March 22, 2023

You should know: John Leguízamo

At the age of 62, Leguízamo began his career as a theater artist and comedian in New York.

He has a long and multifaceted artistic career, which led him to win a Special Tony Award in 2018 for his Broadway show Latin History for Morons and to be nominated for Critic's Choice and Emmy for his role as Raymond Santana Sr. in the Netflix series When They See Us.

“Most people — including many Latinos — don’t know that the first non-Indigenous resident of Manhattan was Dominican (Juan Rodriguez) or that one of television’s early moguls was Latino (Desi Arnaz). This country was not made without us. It was made because of us,” said Leguízamo. 

In recent years, he has become an advocate for the Latino community, lending his voice to the fight for greater Latino representation in the entertainment industry.

NBCNews also pointed out that part of his reason for doing the show is that "it takes Latino kids a long time to understand that they have something to be proud of, that all they are is something beautiful and powerful.”

“This is something we feel is worth celebrating: our Latino culture and the richness of our food, our music and our activism. It’s a lot of Latin themes and people, but this is really a show for all kinds of audiences,” said Ben DeJesus, the series Director. 

The show premieres Sunday, April 16 at 10 p.m. ET on MSNBC.