‘Valor’: Christina Ochoa Talks Joining The CW Military Drama

Although a military-themed series is a completely new frontier for The CW, actress Christina Ochoa has no problem joining the network’s upcoming drama, “Valor.”

In a recent interview with TVLine, Ochoa noted that she has gambled on other outlier shows before, and is willing to do the same with “Valor.” “‘Animal Kingdom’ was a departure for TNT. And ‘Blood Drive’ certainly was a departure for Syfy. And now ‘Valor’ is a big departure from the kind of content that is normally attributed to The CW,” Ochoa said. “[But] I love being part of a team, a community of people, willing to take a risk. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I would much rather be on ‘Valor’ than on something that’s almost a pre-sold, done deal.”

Picking up “Valor” to series last May ended the longtime effort by the CW president Mark Pedowitz to launch a military-themed series on the network. Three years ago, under Pedowitz’s leadership, the network ordered Navy base pilot “Norfolk,” but ended up not moving forward with the project.

“He’s been very enthusiastic,” Ochoa said of Pedowitz’s interest in “Valor.” “Hopefully it’s reflective of the audience that he wants to cater to.”

At the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour last month, Pedowitz revealed that picking up “Valor” — which features a female protagonist — to series was part of CW’s plan to reach out to women viewers as the network’s female-skewing hours “Reign” and “The Vampire Diaries” have already ended.

“Valor” follows the story of chopper pilots Nora (Ochoa) and Gallo (Matt Barr) who train for a rescue operation after a botched mission in Somalia leaves a pair of American servicemen in enemy hands. Nora and Gallo, however, share a very large secret from the initial operation — a secret that must never come to the attention of the Army.

When asked what she thinks will help “Valor” stands out from two other new military dramas premiering this fall — NBC’s “The Brave” and CBS’ “SEAL Team,” Ochoa said: “Obviously the female protagonism is very important for our show versus the other ones. And I also think that the other shows are action-driven, or story-driven, or plot-driven; ours is very much character-driven. There’s a different cadence to what we’re putting out there. Having a show like this, where the interpersonal relationships are really at the forefront versus the mission or the action, is a bit different, I think. The wrapper is still action and plot and story, but really the heart of it is all character.”

“Valor” premieres on Monday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. EDT on The CW.