Minorities featured in new series> `Resurrection Blvd.’ compelling family drama

While the networks are busy wringing their hands over lily-white programming, Showtime is doing something about it.

This week, the premium cable network is unveiling two new series centering on minority families: “Resurrection Blvd.” and “Soul Food.”

The better of the two offerings is “Resurrection Blvd.,” which premieres at 10 tonight. The drama focuses on the extended Santiago family, which lives in East Los Angeles. All the Santiago men have been boxers, but success in the ring has been elusive. Also, boxing exacts a toll, with brain-addled uncle Ruben a mute reminder of that fact.

The current great hope is middle son Carlos, the No. 1 contender for the middleweight crown. But tragedy befalls him before the title fight happens.

Youngest son Alex, a pre-med student at UCLA, seems the most likely to escape the family’s working-class existence in the barrio. But when Carlos falls, Alex feels compelled to continue chasing the family dream, even if it’s not his own.

This decision infuriates older sister Yolanda, who works at a law firm in Beverly Hills while serving as surrogate mother for the Santiago clan. She sees boxing as a dead end for her family.

Creator Dennis Leoni has pulled together a stellar Latino cast, led by Tony Plana (“City of Angels”) as driven patriarch Roberto, Elizabeth Pena (“Lone Star”) as infectious Aunt Bibi, and Michael DeLorenzo (“New York Undercover”) as the beaten-down Carlos.

The Santiagos show a strong family bond in “Resurrection Blvd.,” and viewers will tune in to see if they can overcome and flourish.

“Soul Food,” which debuts at 10 p.m. Wednesday, is an adapted version of the 1997 film. It follows the travails of three sisters and the men with whom they’re involved.

Elder sister Teri is the careerist lawyer who can’t find the right man. Explosive middle sister Maxine is married to good-natured tow-truck owner Kenny, and they’re the parents of three young kids. Youngest sister Bird, a beautician, and her jobless, ex-con husband Lem have just had their first child, a baby boy.

While the characters are well drawn, the problem is that viewers will be filled with disbelief. Why would Bird stay with a desperate loser who is slipping back to his old, lawbreaking ways? Why would Teri lose a good man because she’s afraid to let her coworkers know about him, just because he’s younger and works as a courier? Why can’t down-to-earth Maxine straighten out those two sorry sisters?

Vanessa Williams (“Melrose Place”) as Maxine and Rockwood Dunbar (“Punks”) as Kenny rise above the lightweight scripts to develop flesh-and-blood characters, but the rest of the cast gets lost in the stereotypes.

The message of “Soul Food” is that all can be solved with love and a big piece of sweet-potato pie. It too rarely addresses societal problems facing even middle-class blacks, which is definitely an opportunity lost in a TV landscape when minorities are ignored.

Also on Showtime: 10 p.m. Tuesday, “Beggars and Choosers,” second-season premiere; 10 p.m. Thursday, “Rude Awakening,” third-season premiere; 10 p.m. Friday, “Stargate SG-1,” fourth-season premiere.