Is Alana De La Garza TV’s next big star?

Alana De La Garza, who played a prosecutor in “Law & Order,” appears poised to emerge as the next big Latina television star if she can help make the new ABC sci-fi drama series ‘Forever’ stick.

“It’s like ‘Castle’ meets ‘Highlander,’” says De La Garza, who has been one of ABC’s prime voices selling the show, whose pilot premiered Monday followed by the first episode on Tuesday, which will be its normal spot.

“It’s kind of fantastical about this medical examiner who cannot die.”

SEE ALSO:  Young Latino stars keep on Hustling

Brit actor Ioan Gruffudd plays medical examiner Henry Morgan, who is over 200 years old and whose crime-solving insights intrigue De La Garza’s character, recently widowed New York City homicide detective Jo Martinez.

But it may be De La Garza, looking like the most beautiful TV cop ever, who steals the show. At a screening a few weeks back one web reviewer was even talking of her sneaking up like Bruce Willis in “Moonlighting” back in the 1980s and stealing the thunder from Cybil Shepherd.

De La Garza is coming off the high of having become a mom for the second time but the low of seeing her most recent series, the medical drama “Do No Harm,” pulled by NBC.

“Forever” could also have a tough road making an impact on the 10 p.m. Tuesday night slot, which has been a virtual cemetery for ABC shows in the past.

But De La Garza has a strong following dating back to when she played Rosa Santos on “All My Children” in 2001. Since leaving the soap, she has been seen in several TV series, including “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: LA” and “CSI: Miami.”

“Alana De La Garza is a star who could blossom into a superstar if this series takes off,” says Hollywood writer Thomas Davis. “She could easily become to TV dramas what Sofia Vergara is to TV sitcoms.”

“In ‘Law & Order,’ I was an attorney, and I was buttoned down,” De La Garza says about her roles. “This character. She’s flawed. She’s an alcoholic. She’s fighting for survival. She lost her husband a year ago, and she’s a bad mamajama.”

Unlike “Law & Order,” though, it appears that “Forever” has De La Garza heading toward an on-screen romance, not unlike the sexual tension that “Castle” teased viewers with for several seasons.

As Gruffudd’s character tries to find answers for his eternal life, his character is obviously attracted to the mortal Jo Martinez who in the pilot teased him by saying that he’s a “stallion” unaware of his good looks.

“He’s amazing, and he’s quirky and handsome and sweet, and you fall in love with him,” De La Garza said of her co-star.

At the same time, De La Garza is clearly excited about broadening her range of roles.

“To be able to play something that’s character driven and someone whose strong and intelligent woman who carries handcuffs and she’s also vulnerable,” she says. “There’s a dark sad side to her, too, and so it’s just wonderful to explore and have that journey.”

And as for what’s ahead, De La Garza says she’s only looking at the here and now and not as a stepping stone.

“I don’t look at life that way,” she says. “I just kind of enjoy my ride. I like to have a job where I do what I do for a living.”

SEE ALSO: Hispanic missing from leading roles in Hollywood but that’s not all