The University of Arizona Press
September 25, 2026
Peter Murrieta, co-author with Frederick Luis Aldama, of Two Vatos Talk Pop Cultura, was interviewed on KJZZ radio. Over the last two decades, Murrieta has produced more than three hundred hours of television, including hit shows One Day at a Time (Netflix), Lopez (TV Land), Superior Donuts (CBS), and Cristela (ABC). Murrieta, who is Mexican American, created the acclaimed WB series Greetings from Tucson, a groundbreaking series that was one of the first ever to feature a diverse, biracial family, set in Peter’s native Arizona.
In the interview, Murrieta spoke about the origins of Latinx influence in Hollywood starting with the show I Love Lucy: “Desi Arnaz had so much to do with the beginnings of television, and how to re-run a show, how to syndicate show, how to shoot a show live with a studio audience. He had so much to do with the creation of that business model, and he and Lucy made so much money that they ended up buying a studio.”
Listen to the full interview here.
About the book:
Two Vatos Talk Pop Cultura brings a leading Latinx media studies scholar, Frederick Luis Aldama, together with an award-winning television writer and producer, Peter Murrieta, to examine how Latinx representation has evolved—and stagnated—across seven decades of American TV, film, and pop culture.
Born from the popular podcast Mighty Peter and Professor Latinx but written in a collective voice with breakout discussions shaped by specific experiences and insights—Aldama’s theoretical acumen and Murrieta’s industry war stories—the book exemplifies what the authors call the collective shaping of “borderlands epistemology.” It analyzes shows while accounting for the behind-the-scenes industry battles such as those fought in writers’ rooms.
Two Vatos Talk Pop Cultura aims to be an essential book for students and lay readers alike, shedding light on who shapes representation—and why it matters.
