By Elia Esparza
As the TV series pick up or renewal period is coming to an end, ABC television executives are still keeping us in limbo about The Baker and the Beauty. Although the season finale, a two hour special clocked in their highest rating delivering a 0.6 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic for the first hour and 3.01 million viewers, ABC is slow in announcing a renewal.
But since we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantined, the only thing that is certain is that executives continue to scramble to decide which shows stay and which will be cancelled.
Here’s a ShowBuzz on who is IN or OUT on Latino themed series across the scope of broadcast TV, Streaming and cable:
The Baker and the Beauty — In or Out?
The ABC dramedy is still waiting for an official Season 2 pickup. Our favorite bakery family has not been told if they will be renewed. What! It should be a slam dunk that fan-favorite series be renewed. The Baker and the Beauty is about a young man named Daniel Garcia who works in the family bakery, but then he meets superstar Noa Hamilton, and his life moves into the spotlight. The story ride is hilarious, painful, and joyful. The series is high quality, great writing, and with a stellar cast starring Victor Rasuk (Fifty Shades of Grey), Natalie Kelley, Carlos Gomez, Dan Bucatinsky, Lisa Vidal, David Del Rio, Belissa Escobedo, and Michelle Veintimilla.
The series is an adaptation of the Israeli romantic-comedy Beauty and the Baker. The American version was developed and executive produced by Dean Georgaris, Becky Hartman Edwards, David Frankel, Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Assi Azar, and Rachel Kaplan for Universal Television. To date, ABC has yet to renew or cancel. Stay tuned.
Vida Cancelled — Sad and Bittersweet Goodbye
Who knows why on earth the suits at Starz decided to end this critically acclaimed drama after just three seasons. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the executives decided to rob us of this award-winning complex dramedy set in Boyle Heights and with an LGBTQ-focused theme of Season 4.
The third season of Tanya Saracho’s Chingona Productions Vida debuted on the Starz network in May 2018. On April 26th Starz announced that the series starring Melissa Barrera (In the Heights), Mishel Prada (Riverdale), and Ser Anzoategui (East Los High) had canceled the series. When Vida first debuted, many television reviewers deemed it “one of the best new shows of 2018.” During its second season, the show won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2019.
Vida was inspired by a short story titled Pour Vida Richard Villegas Jr. The series went on to also star Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, Maria-Elena Laas, and Roberta Colindrez.
Netflix’s Gentefied— Renewed for 2nd Season!
Another dramedy that started out as a web TV series, premiered on Netflix on February 21, 2020. The series stars Karrie Martin, Joseph Julian Soria, Carlos Santos, and Joaquin Cosio. In recurring roles are Julissa Calderon, Annie Gonzalez, Laura Patalano, Felipe Esparza, Rafael Sigler, Jaime Alvarez, Bianca Melgar, Michelle Ortiz, and Alejandro Patino. Gentefied is about familia, following three Mexican-American cousins and their struggle to chase the American dream.
The series, created by executive producers Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chavez, alongside Monica Macer, Aaliyah Williams, America Ferrera, Charles D. King, Kim Roth, and Terri Weinberg. The series was premiered on January 21, 2020, and on May 18th, Netflix renewed the series for a second season!
The Expanding Universe of Ashley — Renewed for Season 2!
This hilarious, feel-good, coming-to-age sitcom features a 15-year-old scientist Ashley Garcia who explores the great unknown of modern tendon after moving across the country to pursue a career in robotics. The comedy stars Paulina Chavez and Jencarlos Canela. Created by Seth Kurland and Mario Lopez, who is an occasional guest star. The first eight episodes are now on Netflix and add to Netflix’s huge investment in teen sitcoms. The series, which is promoted heavily on Netflix’s LatinX social channels arrived on Netflix on February 17th, 2020. The word is still out if there will be a second season.
One Day at a Time — Now at Pop TV Still Finishing 4th Season
After enjoying three seasons on Netflix, the sitcom got canceled. It has been a rollercoaster of a year for the cast and shows creators, but ODAAT got a save by Pop TV! However, just as they were geting off to a great start, COVID-19 hit and they only shot 6 episodes and still have one more episode to shoot.
One of the most acclaimed TV sitcom, frans love the all the family and their neighbor, from the feisty senior Lydia to progressive Gen Z’er Elena and goofball landlord Schneider. One Day at a Time looks, sounds, and feels like a loving bear hug from a beloved grandma. Inspired by Norman Lear‘s 1975’s series of the same name, ODAAT enjoyed three seasons on Netflix. Season 4, premiered on Pop TV on March 24th, at 9:30/8:30c to June 15, 2020, following an all-new episode of Schitt’s Creek. ODaaT stars Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, Stephen Tobolowsky, and the legend, Rita Moreno. If you don’t have cable, ODAAT is available on the Pop app/website for free and without a cable subscription. You can also watch Pop TV if you are a subscriber to a number of streaming platforms: fuboTV, AT&T TV NOW, YouTube TV, or Hulu With Live TV.
On My Block — Season 4 Is Coming!
Season 4 release date on Netflix is still under wraps, however it is looking good.
What we do know is that Lauren Iungerich recently signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix, so it looks good. Co-creator Eddie Gonzalez recently told digitalspytv.com, “What we can tell you is that, in communities like that, there are so many great stories. Because of that, that will help us with the story moving forward.” He also added, “I have 117 first cousins. I can mine a lot of material from those cousins alone.”
We are going out on a limb (not), and saying the best-case scenario is March 2021– next year!
On My Block stars Sierra Capri, Jason Cenao, Brett Gray, Diego Tinoco, Jessica Marie Garcia, and Julio Macias.
Mayans MC — Is Back For a Third Season!
The next chapter for the “Sons of Anarchy” Mayans MC spin-off, continues! Season 3 is slated to premiere on FX on Hulu in the fall of 2020. This drama has first-rate acting starring J.D. Pardo, Sarah Bolger, Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Antonio Jaramillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, Danny Pino, and Emilio Rivera. Mayans MC was co-created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James. The series is executive produced by Sutter, James, and Kevin Dowling.
Mr. Iglesias — Is Back For a Season 2!
Netflix has renewed the beloved Mr. Iglesias sitcom for a second season! Starring Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Sherri Shepherd, Jacob Vargas, Maggie Geha, Richard Gant, Cree Cicchino, and Fabrizio Guido. Show creator, Kevin Hench also returns as showrunner and will serve as executive producer alongside Iglesias, Ron DeBlasio, and Joe Meloche.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine — Renewed for a Season 8!
It’s official, Brooklyn Nine-Nine will return for an eighth season according to an NBC Instagram announcement:
With two Latina leads (Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz front and center the show can’t help but be Latino/a themed. According to an NBC the cast found out about being renewed during a table read, “We want to dispel some of these crazy rumors about next season. We want you to come back.” Congratulations to the large ensemble cast: Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Chelsea Peretti, Andre Braugher, Joe Lo Tru, Joel McKinnon, Jason Mantzoukas, Marc Evan Jackson, Eva Longoria, Dirk Blocker, Adam Sandler, Gina Gershon, and Katey Sagal.
Further, it was reported that on linear TV, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which NBC saved in 2018 after it had been canceled by Fox, averaged a 1.2 rating and 3.2 million viewers overall in Live+Same Day ratings last season, up +15% versus the prior season on Fox. After 35 days of linear and digital delayed viewing, the show last season grew to a 3.1 rating in 18-49 and 6.4 million viewers overall, with 59% of that 18-49 rating coming from nonlinear sources — the #1 biggest digital percentage for an NBC series last season.
The Good Doctor — ABC’s Most-Watched Show
It was great news when ABC announce that the critically acclaimed show The Good Doctor had been renewed for Season 4. However, when Dr. Neil Melendez, one of the most beloved characters of the show played by Nicholas Gonzalez is killed off in the season finale, it was a shocker. it’s ABC’s most-watched show and killing off your original cast member, for “creative reasons” was a stab at the hearts of fans all over the world. they took to social media, but what was done was done. The Good doctor goes on without Gonzalez who helped make the show a hit. . The cast consists of Freddie Highmore, Paige Spara, Antonia Thomas. Its a diverse cast, however we hope that the producers do the right thing and bring on another Latino character, since Latinos are the largest minority in the U.S. and not having Latinos represented in the show is just not right.
Party of Five – Gone After Just 1 Season
Freeform cancelled the re-boot of Party of Five a month after season one. The series reimagend the original series that ran from 1994 to 2000 with a Latino family whose parents face deportation. Their children are left to fend for them with the older brother having to shift his life to run the family restaurant, while the high school daughter is now having to be the “mom” for her younger brother and sister.
The Party of Five cast included Brandon Larracuente, Emily Tosta, Niko Guardado and Elle Paris Legaspi. Bruno Bichir and Fernanda Urrejola as the parents. Amy Lippman and Chris Keyser who originally created the series served as executive Producers along with Rodrigo Garcia the (The Affair, Nine Lives)who also directed.
Narcos: Mexico – Will there be another year of Narcos?
While season 3 of Narcos: Mexico has not been confirmed by Netflix, showrunner Eric Newman is game to continue the drama—even up to the present day Mexico, which is still working through drug wars.
With resignation, we mourn our favorites TV shows which got cancelled, look forward to the continuing shows and anxiously await new shows which are in the pipeline. It’s called the Hollywood wait and see game.