HBO Max Cancels Freshmen Series a Month After Its Premiere
The coming-of-age 1980s comedy series Gordita Chronicles has been canceled a month after it premiered on HBO Max. The decision comes after Gordita Chronicles debuted with all 10 episodes on June 23rd. According to Deadline, Sony Pictures Television plans to shop the series around to other networks and platforms with hopes of having it picked up, similar to Netflix's cancellation of One Day At a Time. HBO Max is also reportedly halting new pitches for live-action kids/family and unscripted programming in the fallout of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The company has also canceled a number of original scripted series for TBS, TNT, and TruTV such as Snowpiercer and The Last O.G.
"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," a spokesperson for HBO Max told Deadline in a statement. "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."
"We are heartbroken by the larger programming changes at HBO Max that will not allow our special show that is Gordita Chronicles, showrun by LatinX comedy powerhouse Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz, to have a second season at its original home. As producers and storytellers who are continually seeking out the authentic and original stories that highlight our community's joy and talent, we are so proud to have worked on this piece of magic," executive producers Eva Longoria and Zoe Saldaña said in a statement. "We continue to be blown away by the overwhelmingly positive critical response coupled with our growing audience numbers, which prove that viewers recognize the importance of this show's existence and the crucial space it is filling for LatinX content in the media landscape."
Set in 1985, Gordita Chronicles follows Cucu "Gordita" Castelli (Olivia Goncalves) as she says goodbye to all of her friends and family in Santo Domingo and moves to Miami with her marketing executive father Víctor (Juan Javier Cardenas), bold and vivacious mother Adela (Diana Maria Riva), and suddenly status-obsessed older sister Emilia (Savannah Nicole Ruiz). While life in America is far from what they imagined, the Castellis are determined to take charge of their strange new world.
The series starred Olivia Goncalves, Diana Maria Riva, Juan Javier Cardenas, Savannah Nicole Ruiz, Noah Rico, Cosette Hauer, and Dascha Polanco.