PASADENA, Calif. — Where can you plunder comedy and drama in the same place? Hospitals, workplaces and neighborhoods have all been tried in television, and so have hotels. TV has mined that ore hundreds of times, from the loony digs in “Fawlty Towers” to the ritzy clientele of “Hotel.” So while the idea is not original, ABC is venturing a newer version this summer with “Grand Hotel.”

Based on a Hispanic series, the show stars Demian Bichir as successful patriarch Santiago Mendoza, who is running the last family-owned hotel in Miami with his glamorous and determined second wife, played by Roselyn Sanchez.

The sun-drenched series is executive-produced by Eva Longoria of “Desperate Housewives.” “This was a format from Spain,” she explains. “And it was a period piece, and we contemporized it to modern-day Miami. … It has a lot of themes of ‘Upstairs, Downstairs,’ but we thought it was very unique to have the upstairs be a Hispanic family and to show a different community.

“It’s based in Miami, so we’re authentic to that world,” she says. “Nine of our 11 cast members are people of color. So we’re really proud of the adaptation that we did.”

Executive producer Brian Tanen continues: “So often you see those underrepresented groups playing the housekeeper, playing service industry jobs. And so it was special for us to be able to represent the ‘upstairs’ as people of color, which is very true to my hometown of Miami.”

The Mexico-born Bichir is best known as the persistent cop in “The Bridge” and the chief of the drug cartel in “Weeds.”

“To me, it’s about the human experience and who’s in charge of it,” he says. “And I love Eva … No one can say ‘no’ to Eva. And a great, powerful captain can lead such a big ship into a happy port. And the beauty of that is that they can gather the best artists on every position, not only in the fantastic cast that we have, but in every department. So that, to me, is what I’m looking for as an artist.”

Earlier in his career Bichir, a star in Mexico, had tried his luck in Hollywood, only to return to his homeland when jobs didn’t materialize.

“The first period of the time that I spent here many years back, many years ago, there weren’t many things for Latin American artists,” he says.

“There are a lot of people responsible for now having this beautiful time that we’re having. And Eva is one of them, without a doubt. She opened up a full, new opportunity for many Latin American actors. She has a great relationship with ABC, and she could have chosen any other show, any other story, any story she wants, because she can do anything she wants,” he says.

“She’s superwoman. She’s not only a great actor and a great producer, but she was becoming a mother at the same time she was giving birth to this series.”

It’s true, Longoria recalls, “When I started the show, I’d just had my baby. And I was breastfeeding, and I was directing the show while I was breastfeeding. I mean, I was crazy.”

“And she was juggling all those pins at the same time,” continues Bichir. “So she is one of them that is opening these opportunities to many of us.”

Longoria herself will make several guest appearances, she says. “The first time you see me, I’m about 20 pounds heavier than the last time you see me, because five months had passed between those times. But you will see me, and I’m very excited about it.”