HBO Max has canceled coming-of-age comedy, Gordita Chronicles, after one season, Deadline reports. The first season launched over a month ago on the platform.
Gordita Chronicles follows the story of Latina reporter Cucu “Gordita” Castelli as she gives a flashback narrative of her experience as a chubby Dominican girl of the 80s whose family makes the transition from Santo Domingo to Miami, Florida as her father must relocate for his job. The show explores what it’s like to be a Dominican immigrant in the States, and themes of love, resilience, and opportunity are explored as Gordita’s eccentric family defy the status quo to forge their own way to the “American Dream." It received critical acclaim and positive audience reception.
A spokesperson for the streamer spoke with Deadline about the programming shift and the unfortunate decision to cancel Gordita Chronicles, saying:
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.
Executive producers of the series, Eva Longoria and Zoe Saldaña responded to the news, and expressed disappointment with the decision:
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. 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.
The series was created by Claudia Forestieri, who wrote the pilot and also served as executive producer. Josh Berman also served as executive producer alongside Jennifer Robinson and Chris King from SPT-based Osprey Productions. Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz served as showrunner and executive producer for Bons Mots Emporium. Longoria directed the pilot and served as executive producer for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. Saldaña, Mariel Saldana, and Cisely Saldaña served as executive producers for Cinestar Pictures.
Gordita Chronicles featured the acting talents of Olivia Goncalves as Cucu Castelli; Cosette Hauer as Ashley Bell; Juan Javier Cardenas as Victor Castelli; Savannah Nicole Ruiz as Emilia; Diana-Maria Riva as Adela Castelli; and more.
The silver-lining of the news is that HBO has stated that live-action kids and family programming is not part of their “immediate” programming future, so there is still a chance that these types of shows will once again be added to the HBO Max media library. Meanwhile, you can catch up on Season 1 of Gordita Chronicles. Watch the trailer below: