There are lots of problems keeping Latinx from getting the recognition in Hollywood that we deserve. Getting our authentic stories on screen is hard, but sometimes it seems like keeping them there is impossible – I’m looking at you The Gordita Chronicles, Vida, Gentefied, etc… How are we supposed to build a talent and artistic pipeline if we’re shut down so quickly out of the gate? That’s why we’re taking a moment to celebrate five great, Latinx shows that totally deserved a second season. This list is a reminder that we’ve been out here, telling fun, strong stories that would appeal across audiences if just given the chance. Here’s hoping Hollywood finally starts learning from its mistakes, finds another home of The Gordita Chronicles, and stops all this nonsense.
The Baker and the Beauty
ABC’s The Baker and The Beauty got just one season despite being an adorable romantic-comedy-drama. It’s set in Miami, this time in Little Havana, where the Cuban Garcia family runs a bakery. Son Victor meets supermodel Noa and has to balance love and her immense fame. The Baker and The Beauty aired in 2020, starred Victor Rasuk, Nathalie Kelley, Michelle Veintimilla, David del Rio, and Lisa Vidal, and ran nine episodes. It also made headlines for its second run on Netflix, proving the show didn’t suffer from a lack of an audience.
Grand Hotel
Wealth? Glamor? Miami? Sign us up! 2019’s Grand Hotel had it all. The Eva Longoria-produced primetime show, which starred Demián Bichir, Roselyn Sanchez, and Denyse Tontz, focused on a ritzy family who ran a hotel in equally ritzy South Beach. Unfortunately, this show only aired 13 episodes before leaving ABC’s primetime roster. We miss it!
Cristela
You may have caught Cristela Alonzo’s hilarious 2022 Netflix Special, Middle Classy. But, did you know that she had her own sitcom on ABC?! Yes, the Tejana made history in 2014, when she became the “first Latina to create, produce, write, and star in her own primetime comedy.” The show, which followed a law student as she balances her dreams with her old-school Mexican-American family, lasted just 22 episodes but deserved so many more.
House of Buggin’
Another comedic show that managed to make its mark despite only lasting one season is John Leguizamo’s House of Buggin’. The 1995 sketch comedy has been compared to In Living Color, and had skits including a take on West Side Story, “Chicano Militant Minute,” “Illegal Alien Makeovers,” “Learning to Vogue,” “Totally True Urban Legends.” House of Buggin’ lasted 11 episodes, and also starred Latinxs Tammi Cubilette, Yelba Osorio, Jorge Luis Abreu, and Luis Guzmán.
a.k.a. Pablo
First-season cancellation of Latinx TV shows isn’t a new phenomenon. Back in 1984, comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez was holding it down on his own sitcom, where he plays a stand-up comedian who (again) balances following his dreams as a comic with his traditional Mexican family. a.k.a. Pablo only lasted six episodes, which is sad, considering that it also starred Hector Elizondo, Katy Jurado, Joe Santos, Lupe Ontiveros, and Mario Lopez.
