Cleaning Lady Media: Mob Rule

[Meredith Quill]

Your Media Topic!

[Bort]

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Based on the Argentine series La Chica que Limpia, The Cleaning Lady centers on a whip-smart doctor (Marvel’s Daredevil‘s Élodie Yung) who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. But when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes a cleaning lady for the mob and starts playing the game by her own rules.

 

[Trini]

This isn't coming out until mid-season, BTW.

https://www.fox.com/the-cleaning-lady/

https://twitter.com/CleaningLadyFOX

https://www.instagram.com/CleaningLadyFOX/

https://www.facebook.com/The-Cleaning-Lady-FOX-103515951891523/

[AnimeMania]

‘The Cleaning Lady’: Shiva Negar & Jay Mohr Join Fox Drama Series As Recurring

Shiva Negar will play Isabel Barsamian, sophisticated and sincere, Hayak’s daughter Isabel Barsamian holds a Business Degree from Stanford as well as the keys to her father’s heart. On the day of her wedding, she has a nostalgic conversation with Arman Morales (Adam Canto) that reveals an intimate past, and a hidden betrayal, that will permanently alter their relationships from that day forward…

Jay Mohr will portray Council Eric Knight, a corrupt city Councilman running for Mayor of Las Vegas. His campaign is funded by Hayak Barsamian who in return gets permits for his legal and illegal enterprises. But when the FBI comes knocking — will Knight rat on Arman and Hayak and take their syndicate down?

[AnimeMania]

 

[Trini]

Monday time slot, and a January 3rd premiere date:

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Thrilling new drama THE CLEANING LADY premieres Monday, Jan. 3 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), following 9-1-1: LONE STAR. The series is an emotionally driven character drama about a whip-smart Cambodian doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. However, when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes a cleaning lady for organized crime, using her cunning and intelligence to forge her own path in the criminal underworld. ...

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/11/08/fox-announces-premiere-dates-for-new-and-returning-series-using-the-power-of-sports-to-launch-winter-2022-872015/20211108fox02/

[AnimeMania]

 

[AnimeMania]

Lou Diamond Phillips and Daughter Gracie Phillips to Guest Star on Fox’s ‘Cleaning Lady’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Lou Diamond Phillips and his daughter, Gracie Phillips, will guest star on The Cleaning Lady.

Lou Diamond Phillips will play Joe Fabroa, described as a charming, handsome, self-centered, luxury car salesman. He also happens to be the anonymous bone marrow donor for Luca (Sebastien and Valentino LaSalle) that backed out at the last minute after Thony (Elodie Yung) travelled from the Philippines for a lifesaving transplant for her son. When Thony appeals to Joe to reconsider donating, they go through an unexpected journey together that changes all of their lives.

Gracie Phillips will play the daughter of Joe Fabroa, Grace Fabroa, who has been estranged from her father since her mother’s death. So when Thony and Fiona (Martha Millan) show up at her front door looking for her father, she is wary of what they want from them. Sensing their honesty, Grace reluctantly helps them, which prompts Thony to do a good deed in return.

[Trini]

Fox is starting to put out short preview videos; this is the longest one:

 

[AnimeMania]

Eva De Dominici has a recurring role as Nadia Morales, Arman Morales’ (Adan Canto) gorgeous and sultry wife, she manages the exclusive cigar club La Habana with her husband. But she’s not just a pretty face, she’s the Lady Macbeth in their relationship, encouraging and sometimes pushing Arman to ask for what he deserves within the crime syndicate. Nadia is comfortable using both her beauty and her brains to help Arman close important deals in Vegas.

Liza Weil has a recurring role as Katherine Russo, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the Las Vegas FBI field office. Described as intelligent, stern and confident, Russo previously worked alongside Special Agent Garrett Miller (Oliver Hudson) in the field before she was promoted, so she doesn’t mince words when she speaks with Miller about their current case.

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by AnimeMania

[Trini]

Synopses of the first two episodes:

Episode 1:

Spoiler

TO SAVE HER AILING CHILD, A WOMAN LEADS A DOUBLE LIFE ON THE ALL-NEW SERIES PREMIERE OF "THE CLEANING LADY" MONDAY, JANUARY 3, ON FOX

Thony (Elodie Yung), a whip-smart Cambodian doctor, struggles to make ends meet as an undocumented worker after coming to the U.S. from the Philippines in search of a medical treatment for her ailing son. After witnessing a murder, Thony cleans the crime scene to stay alive, then begins living a double life, cleaning for a crime syndicate while doing what is necessary to save her son in the all-new Pilot "TNT" series premiere episode of THE CLEANING LADY airing Monday, Jan. 3 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (CLD-101) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

Cast: Élodie Yung as Thony, Adan Canto as Arman Morales, Martha Millan as Fiona, Oliver Hudson as Garrett, Sebastien and Valentino LaSalle as Luca, Faith Bryant as Jaz, Sean Lew as Chris

Guest Cast: Michelle Campbell as Helen, Ivan Shaw as Marco, Eva De Dominici as Nadia, Navid Negahban as Hayak Barsamian, Charles Malik Whitfield as Theo, Joseph Garcia as Alonzo Ortega, Mariyam Saho as Shelby, Phillip Garcia as Javier 'Javi' Acosta, Deniz Akdeniz as Tarik, Ivo Nandi as Mateo, Antonio Leon as Dr. Saroyan, Daniel Lissing as Brandon, Gillian White as Dark Diva, Grayson Berry as Stevie, Esodie Geiger as Renee Lawson, Janelle Baptiste as Samentha, Lloyd Voights as Pilot

Episode 2:

Spoiler

THONY TURNS TO THE SYNDICATE TO GET MEDICAL HELP FOR HER SON ON AN ALL-NEW "THE CLEANING LADY" MONDAY, JANUARY 10, ON FOX

Jay Mohr ("Suburgatory") Makes A Recurring Guest-Star Appearance

Thony attempts to sever ties with the crime syndicate when the FBI comes asking questions. But when her son's health declines, she crosses a moral line, getting deeper involved with the syndicate. Meanwhile, things turn violent during a weapons exchange when inventory goes missing and Arman (Adan Canto) has 24 hours to find the thief in the all-new "The Lion's Den" episode of THE CLEANING LADY airing Monday, Jan. 10 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (CLD-102) (TV-14 D, L, V)

Cast: Élodie Yung as Thony, Adan Canto as Arman Morales, Martha Millan as Fiona, Oliver Hudson as Garrett, Sebastien and Valentino LaSalle as Luca, Faith Bryant as Jaz, Sean Lew as Chris

Guest Cast: Jay Mohr as Councilman Eric Knight, Ivan Shaw as Marco, Eva De Dominici as Nadia, Navid Negahban as Hayak Barsamian, Joseph Garcia as Alonzo Ortega, Deniz Akdeniz as Tarik Barsamian, Ivo Nandi as Mateo, Antonio Leon as Dr. Daniel Soroyan, Virginia Asbury as Hostess, Cosima Cabrera as Gabby, Tom McCafferty as Jimmy, Harold Fisch as Carlos, Gigi Erneta as Vivian Serrano, Vick Sabian as Viktor Nazaryan, Eduard Osipov as Roman Yerelekian, Rana Haddad as Vida Barsamian, Esodie Geiger as Renee Lawson, Michelle Campbell as Helen and Dar Therrien as Cory

 

[Trini]

 

[Trini]

The ratings for the premiere were good by Fox standards; since the other new Fox dramas did worse, this has a better chance of getting a season 2.

https://tvline.com/2022/01/04/tv-ratings-bachelor-season-26-clayton/

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... The Cleaning Lady debuted to 3.6 mil and a 0.5 (and a “B+” TVLine reader grade), which is far better than what Fox’s fall freshmen The Big Leap (1.5 mil/0.3) and Our Kind of People (1.7 mil/0.3) opened with. In fact, it is Fox’s top-rated drama debut in two years (since Lone Star‘s post-NFL game launch).

 

https://deadline.com/2022/01/monday-ratings-the-bachelor-season-premiere-ncis-the-cleaning-lady-2-1234903786/

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Later in the evening Fox’s latest drama The Cleaning Lady, starring Elodie Yung, made its debut (0.5, 3.56M). Per Fox, The Cleaning Lady marked the network’s highest-rated new drama premiere in two years.

 

[Trini]

Interviews: 'FOX’s ‘The Cleaning Lady’ is Ready to Defy Stereotypes'

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“I wanted to create a character that defied all the stereotypes,” said Kwok. “She’s a cleaning lady, but also, she’s a doctor. She is not anything you’d expect. Most of the time, you don’t expect anything — you just disregard your cleaning lady. What was important to me to bring these voices that are pushed into the shadows — unseen and unheard — and bring them into the forefront. That’s what inspired me about creating the show. And, to show somebody who surmount all the obstacles and challenges that were thrown against her and despite all the odds that are stacked against her, that she is able to survive and make her own rules and create her own boundaries and find her own voice. It was important to me to tell this story through the Southeast Asian lens.”

 

[Trini]

Not great for a new show, but there's no new episode next week. Episode 3 airs Monday, Jan. 24.

[magdalene]

16 minutes ago, Trini said:

Not great for a new show, but there's no new episode next week. Episode 3 airs Monday, Jan. 24.

That's Fox for you, putting a new show on hiatus after 2 episodes. No wonder network tv is dying.  This is the first thing I have watched on Fox in years.  I couldn't actually remember what channel no. Fux was on and now I may not remember to come back for the 3rd episode.

I wish this show was on Netflix. 

[Irlandesa]

There's a Monday night NFL playoff game.

It'll crush any new show airing that night. Airing a repeat is FOX trying to protect the first run of its new shows.

[Trini]

This is from a spoiler column, but it doesn't actually spoil anything specific, so I'm putting it here:

Matt's Inside Line at TVLine:

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I am already obsessed with Fox’s The Cleaning Lady! Do you have any scoop on Thony and Arman? Their chemistry is hot! –Beth

I relayed your Q to executive producers Miranda Kwok and Melissa Carter, and they write back, “We’re definitely gonna keep seeing sparks fly between Thony and Arman this season — so hold onto your seats for a thrilling and emotional rollercoaster ride.”

 

[Trini]

 

[Raja]

CBR normally show up in my feed as a fan site, we hope they do this in the MCU's next show site. One of their writers weighed in on the Cleaning Lady

Calling The Cleaning Lady a Mob Romance is Missing the Point

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While the show is centered on Thony's struggles and relationships with her family, there's a part of the fandom -- and even the show's official Twitter account -- focusing on a potential romance between Thony and Arman. This makes the series seem more like a pulpy mob romance, undermining the actual point of the show and Thony's character.

 

[Irlandesa]

31 minutes ago, Raja said:

CBR normally show up in my feed as a fan site, we hope they do this in the MCU's next show site. One of their writers weighed in on the Cleaning Lady

That article kind of implies there's only one way to watch a show "correctly."  I'm sure there are people who exclusively watch for the chemistry.  And I'm sure there are some who exclusively watch for the depiction of undocumented immigrants in the US.  And I'm sure there are those who are very into the very sick kid.  (btw, I thought the article was a bit harsh on the "doctors more concerned with paperwork" because they aren't recognizing the reality of conducting experimental trial that may not even work.  )

But many of us watch for all three of those things.  Or 2 for me because I'm very tired of the constant medical crisis they put Luca in.

There is often a disconnect with marketing that highlights part of a show they feel is going to intrigue the most people.  But it's not like the show doesn't linger on that undercurrent.  Neither are looking for sex or romance for the other but that doesn't mean it's not there or that the show ignores it.

[Trini]

'How 'The Cleaning Lady' made the horrors of ICE detention 'tangible''

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“You want to show that Thony is this amazing doctor who wants to help people and will do anything,” says showrunner and executive producer Melissa Carter. “But even with all of her desires to help this pregnant woman [in the same cage], she’s not able to, and that is the heartbreaking part of it. Thony’s superpowers are sort of stripped away in a realistic way. We didn’t want to make it seem like she would be able to get out of it so easily.”

Thony is eventually taken to a separate room, where she discovers that Garrett (Oliver Hudson), an FBI agent who is looking to incriminate her crime boss Arman (Adan Canto), orchestrated the raid to coerce her into helping him. “But we show that, even with an FBI agent, when people get swept up in a system, sometimes the system just takes over,” says Carter.

Production designer Roshelle Berliner used photographic evidence to re-create the inside of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, down to the Mylar blankets and the amount of food and trash in the overcrowded cages, making the documentaries that Yung and Millan had watched come alive in an unexpectedly visceral way.

“It was just the violation of our rights, the physical patting down from the officers, the zip ties — all of those were just tangible [examples] of our fear, our hopelessness,” Millan says.

 

[Trini]

I'm a little late, but there's some cheesy valentine's on the show's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ98A_fPDe5/

[Trini]

Panel discussion with The Cleaning Lady stars and producers: 'Telling Immigrant Stories: The Cleaning Lady Panel Discussion in Partnership with NDWA' [The National Domestic Workers Alliance] :

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NDWA's Ai-jen Poo and Aquilina Soriano Versoza join actors Elodie Young and Martha Millan and Executive Producers Miranda Kwok and Melissa Carter to discuss the making of episode 5: The Icebox, the importance of telling immigrant stories, and what it means to see domestic workers represented on screen. Moderated by Max Gao.

 

 

[Trini]

Panel discussion featuring showrunner Miranda Kwok:

 

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To kick off the celebration of #WomensHistoryMonth, Warner Bros. Television Group Presents “Running the Show,” a wide-ranging conversation with six incredible creative forces in television. Moderated by WBTVG Chairman Channing Dungey, the panel features executive producers Sera Gamble (“You”), Miranda Kwok (“The Cleaning Lady”), Audrey Morrissey (“The Voice”), Nkechi Okoro Carroll (“All American,” “All American: Homecoming”), and Berlanti Productions Chairwoman & Partner Sarah Schechter (“Arrowverse” series, “The Flight Attendant,” “Riverdale,” and more).

 

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For me, this gave me an answer as to why Thony's husband has been such a non-factor; I don't think he was originally supposed to be in the show. I think he was added to give Thony a Filipino connection.

[Trini]

Finale promo/preview:

 

Interview next week:

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Trini

[Trini]

Soundtrack for the show is available:

 

[Trini]

A couple interviews with Elodie Yung:

'Élodie Yung on Thony's Relatable Struggle and 'Daredevil' Comparisons'

'Elodie Yung Shines in ‘The Cleaning Lady' -- This has more info on the actress.

[Trini]

Two season finale 'post-mortem' interviews with the showrunners and Elodie Yung:

TV Line:

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TVLINE | At the time we’re speaking, there hasn’t been any news about The Cleaning Lady‘s fate. Have you gotten any insight from Fox on how things are looking?

CARTER | It looks very positive, but they do want to hear our Season 2 pitch, which Miranda and I are working on… They’re very happy with the numbers, they’re very happy with the Hulu streaming numbers, so fingers crossed we’ll get a pickup… People just don’t watch TV as much on the night, but people are watching it after.
KWOK | And honestly, they’ve been really excited about this show from the beginning, even from when it was first pitched. Right before the pandemic, it was the first drama pilot that got picked up. They’ve been in full support of this project, and then they were happy with what we delivered, and the last piece is the numbers.

 

TV Guide:

Quote

Élodie, you've mentioned in past interviews that you noticed a striking shift in the way Thony reacts to such brutal, life-threatening situations compared to the pilot. How would you describe her full evolution this season?

Yung: I don't think there's a complete change in her. She's in survival mode, so she has to find ways in order to just make the best decisions she thinks for her kid and for herself. I do feel like she's a reactive person. I felt, midseason, that, "Oh, okay. Her reactions were a little different. She lies; she's secretive." I don't know if she's changed or if those situations just brought out those qualities or flaws that she had within her. ...

 

[magdalene]

On 3/14/2022 at 4:40 PM, Trini said:

A couple interviews with Elodie Yung:

'Élodie Yung on Thony's Relatable Struggle and 'Daredevil' Comparisons'

'Elodie Yung Shines in ‘The Cleaning Lady' -- This has more info on the actress.

I only realized now that was her in Daredevil. She is so glammed up in Daredevil.

[Trini]

Another factor in favor of a renewal, hopefully:

 

[Trini]

This is from January;

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Fox's "The Cleaning Lady" stars Élodie Yung and Martha Millan discuss the show's gritty yet grounded premise, the strong female characters they portray and more.

 

 

[DanaK]

Renewed! http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2022/04/07/hit-fox-drama-the-cleaning-lady-sweeps-up-season-two-renewal-940010/20220407fox02/

[Irlandesa]

Yay.  And interesting timing since I have people cleaning my house right now.

[Trini]

Short article with quotes from Elodie Yung at Emmys.com: 'Elodie Yung's Next Step'

[phoenics]

On 4/7/2022 at 2:03 PM, DanaK said:

Renewed! http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2022/04/07/hit-fox-drama-the-cleaning-lady-sweeps-up-season-two-renewal-940010/20220407fox02/

WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

[Trini]

Panel with Miranda Kwok and Élodie Yung: '‘The Cleaning Lady’ & ‘Welcome To Flatch’ Survived Volatile Journeys To Fox – Contenders TV' -- video at the link.

Quote

“Originally I thought I would pitch this to cable and streaming because that’s where stories like this normally land,” Kwok said. “Warner Bros. said, ‘Let’s try network first because there’s a greater appetite for diverse stories.’ Fox was actually the first network we pitched. They scooped it up immediately and, again, embraced that it was a Southeast Asian character.”

 

 

[Trini]

 

https://www.emmys.com/events/fyc/2022/cleaninglady

 

 

 

 

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PtQ0Bm3STAmXUTHf-g6F8A

 

[Trini]

 'A conversation with the Executive Producers of Kung Fu and The Cleaning Lady':

[AnimeMania]

The Cleaning Lady Season 2 Premieres Monday, Sept. 19th at 9:00-10:00 PM on FOX.

[AnimeMania]

[Trini]

Season 1 is available on Hulu, BTW.

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And not a surprise, but Season 2 will have more Nadia: Eva De Dominici, who recurred as the character in Season 1, has been upped to series regular for Season 2.

[Trini]

A new recurring castmember: Chelsea Frei Joins Season 2.

[Trini]

A new promo with a few very short clips of Season 3:

[Trini]

I thought she was already the showrunner, but okay: '‘The Cleaning Lady’ Creator Miranda Kwok Upped To Showrunner Alongside Melissa Carter'

Quote

Miranda Kwok, developer and executive producer of Fox’s drama series The Cleaning Lady, has been promoted to showrunner alongside executive producer/showrunner Melissa Carter, who will remain in her post under a new overall deal she signed with series producer Warner Bros TV several months ago. The shift from one to two showrunners will take place at the beginning of production on episode 207 of the drama’s upcoming second season. ...

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Trini said:

I thought she was already the showrunner, but okay:

She was the creator/adapter and an EP. 

[Trini]

New promo for Season 2:

[Trini]

I missed this interview with showrunner Melissa Carter; it's from June at Collider: https://collider.com/the-cleaning-lady-showrunner-melissa-carter-interview/

She gives her takes on the characters and teases a few things for Season 2.

[Trini]

[Trini]

Latest trailer for Season 2, with Naveen Andrews!