Lifetime's new comedy-drama series Devious Maids, which premiered Sunday night, has been accused of perpetuating stereotypes of Latina women in the U.S.
Producer Eva Longoria has rejected the critics and stood by her product. The 38-year-old actress stated that if Latinos are over-represented among domestic workers, "that is a fact, that's not an opinion".
"When people talk about stereotypical maids, these maids are anything but. I think it's important for us to have a dialogue of identity in our culture, and even though this show may not be your experience, it is a lot of people's experience", Longoria said.
The series is centered on five Latina maids that work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills who developed a strong bond after a fellow cleaner is murdered. In an interview with E! News, Longoria said she believes the women are real "Latina heroes".
The Chicago Sun-Times said: "Arming Latinas with feather dusters and dirty laundry isn't the only stereotype at work in Devious Maids. The first two episodes are littered with clichés, set to strumming of Spanish guitars."
The former Desperate Housewives actress has worked hard along the show's creator Marc Cherry to make Devious Maids something Latinos could be proud of.
"Marc asked me to come aboard and I say yes, absolutely", she said. "I was very excited that he was giving the opportunity to five Latinas to have a voice and be able to showcase it on a show as great as Desperate Housewives and he's really delivered on this show".
"Storyline-wise, I always wanted to make sure that the girls are the moral compass of the show and that they're really the heroes. And you'll see that throughout the season", Longoria told E! News.
The show's cast includes Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sánchez, Edy Ganem, Judy Reyes and Susan Lucci in main roles.