HBO Max Cancels Family Series After One Season

By Ashley Turner

HBO Max has decided not to renew Gordita Chronicles for a second season. The streaming platform announced the show's cancellation on July 29, a little over a month after its launch, citing a lack of interest in live-action family programming.

Claudia Forestieri, the creator of Gordita Chronicles, tweeted her disappointment about the show's end, writing, "Cucu needs a new casa people." Executive producer Brig Muñoz-Liebowitz also commented, calling the cancellation "a load of lemons." Still, she sounded optimistic about landing elsewhere. "But Gorditas make lemonade! We're shopping for a shiny new spot."

Gordita Chronicles is a 1980s coming-of-age comedy series centered on the experiences of the Latino community in the U.S. HBO Max released a statement to Deadline explaining the decision to cancel. "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 the streamer said." 

"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."

Longoria and Saldaña also released a joint statement, expressing disappointment over the news. "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," the statement continued.

"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."Sony Pictures Television is reportedly shopping Gordita Chronicles to other networks, and the show is gaining support online for a possible revival.

Mike Royce, the showrunner for One Day at a Time, which got a second life at Pop and CBS after its cancellation by Netflix, shared his support 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."

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