HBO Max has decided not to renew the coming-of-age comedy ‘Gordita Chronicles’ despite great reviews and strong viewership, leading audiences to wonder what exactly a Latinx-centered series has to do to get a renewal. A spokesperson for HBO Max said that the move was part of a company-wide shift. “Live-action kids and family programming will not be part of our programming focus in the immediate future, and as a result, we’ve had to make the very difficult decision to end Gordita Chronicles at HBO Max, … The series earned critical acclaim and a loyal following, and we are proud to have worked with creator Claudia Forestieri and our two powerhouse executive producers, Eva Longoria — who also masterfully directed the pilot — and Zoe Saldaña, to bring Cucu’s journey to the screen. We thank them and the talented cast and crew for creating such a heartfelt, groundbreaking show that connected deeply with a very important demographic.”
It’s a bitter ending for such a bright, heartfelt, and hilarious series. Gordita Chronicles follows Cucu “Gordita” Castelli (Olivia Goncalves) and her family as they move from Santo Domingo to Miami in 1985. The series follows the family as they adjust to the culture and reset their expectations for life in America. The family comedy centers on father Víctor (Juan Javier Cardenas), mother Adela (Diana Maria Riva), and status-obsessed older sister Emilia (Savannah Nicole Ruiz). Gordita Chronicles received a rare 100 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the performances and the humor. The show quickly built a fan base, which makes its abrupt cancellation barely a month after its release all the more jarring.
Series creator Claudia Forestieri tweeted “Cucu needs a new casa people… *sigh*”.
The series is currently being shopped around to other networks for a new home, much like the well reviewed, Latinx-centered Netflix reboot of One Day at a Time. ODAAT showrunner Mike Royce posted on Instagram, “Here is the sad state of television today – this show came out 34 days ago, got great reviews… and was just cancelled. Gordita Chronicles will be trying to find a new home and deservedly so.”
While shows are usually canceled due to poor viewership, that was simply not the case with Gordita Chronicles. Chelsea Devantez tweeted some viewership numbers culled from Whip Media and Parrot Analytics to show how well the series actually did:
And while plenty of shows get canceled due to mandate changes at the network level, fans were rightfully calling out the different (RE: racist) treatment that Latinx-led television series receive.
Here’s hoping ‘Gordita Chronicles’ finds a new home and gets the second season it deserves.
(via Deadline, featured image: Laura Magruder/HBO Max)
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
