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| The ABC sitcom "Cristela" stars (from left) Jacob Guenther, Carlos Ponce, Maria Canals Barrera, Cristela Alonzo, Terry Hoyos, Gabriel Iglesias and Isabella Day. |
A couple of days ago, on Saturday, April 18, I tweeted the following:
I had obviously assumed that "Cristela," my favorite new sitcom of the 2014-15 season (sorry, "Black-ish"), had been renewed by ABC for a second season.
Shortly after I sent this Tweet, I Googled "Cristela" to make sure that, indeed, its second-season pickup had been announced. I was surprised to find an article linking to star Cristela Alonzo's blog post titled "A Possible Goodbye" about her show being on the bubble - that precarious position between renewal and cancellation.
"I want to be realistic and honest about things," Cristela states in her blog post. "I'm not sure if the show is coming back. It worries me not because I want to be on TV more. It worries me because I think this show gives a voice to people that haven't been given a voice before."
Cristela is absolutely right. How many shows centered on working-class Latino families are on mainstream television? How many shows are headlined by women of color who aren't a size 2?
This troubling news about the uncertain fate of "Cristela" comes on the heels of seemingly contradictory news I'd come across just a couple of days before. While listening to NPR's "Latino USA," I happened upon a segment titled "2 Fast, So Diverse" about the success of "Furious 7."
The latest installment in the action movie franchise had the ninth biggest opening of all time when it raked in more than $392 million worldwide on its opening weekend April 2-5.
"Latino USA" host Maria Hinojosa and contributor Daisy Rosario cited numbers indicating that the success of the "Furious" franchise may be in large part due to Latinos, whom Nielsen studies show make up around 25 percent of moviegoers and are more likely to be frequent and repeat moviegoers.
Latinos and viewers of all races may be flocking to "Furious," whose ensemble cast boasts Domican-Puerto Rican actress Michelle Rodriguez. But the struggle of "Cristela" to stay on the air shows that diverse casting does not a guaranteed hit make.
When I first saw the ads for "Cristela" last fall, I tuned in because the show looked original and funny, like nothing I'd seen on TV before. (You can read my October 2014 blog post about the show by clicking this link).
It seems that the show would have a built-in audience, since co-star Carlos Ponce is an international sex symbol and pop star and recurring guest star Gabriel Iglesias is a popular comedian with a large, multiracial following. And TV legend Roseanne has made a couple of guest appearances.
Granted, the show's lead and namesake, Mexican-American comedian Cristela Alonzo, isn't as well-known, but she's genuinely funny. Like Roseanne, she has a big personality and screen presence that is definitely compelling enough to headline her own sitcom.
When I'd heard earlier this year that ABC had given "Cristela" a full-season pickup, I assumed the show was virtually guaranteed for a second season. But upon further reflection, I realized I haven't heard "Cristela" mentioned with the same excited buzz in the media as ABC's two other breakout hits with minority casts: "Black-ish" and "Fresh off the Boat."
It's possible that "Cristela" needs a different time slot. It airs on Fridays at 8:30 after the Tim Allen sitcom "Last Man Standing."
It may be that Allen's viewers - and viewers, in general, who are home watching TV on Friday nights - are older and more conservative and less likely to be interested in Cristela, who is 36 but looks like she could be in her 20s.
As much as I don't believe in lumping minorities together, "Cristela" might fare better if the show were paired with "Black-ish," "Fresh off the Boat" or even "The Goldbergs," which revolves around a Jewish family in the '80s.
There has been much hoopla in the press about how "Black-ish," "Fresh off the Boat" and the cultural phenomenon of Fox's "Empire" represent the growing diversity of television audiences. (You can read my take on "Empire" by clicking this link.)
I just hope "Cristela" will get to ride this new wave of diversity for at least one more season.
Latinos and viewers of all races may be flocking to "Furious," whose ensemble cast boasts Domican-Puerto Rican actress Michelle Rodriguez. But the struggle of "Cristela" to stay on the air shows that diverse casting does not a guaranteed hit make.
When I first saw the ads for "Cristela" last fall, I tuned in because the show looked original and funny, like nothing I'd seen on TV before. (You can read my October 2014 blog post about the show by clicking this link).
It seems that the show would have a built-in audience, since co-star Carlos Ponce is an international sex symbol and pop star and recurring guest star Gabriel Iglesias is a popular comedian with a large, multiracial following. And TV legend Roseanne has made a couple of guest appearances.
Granted, the show's lead and namesake, Mexican-American comedian Cristela Alonzo, isn't as well-known, but she's genuinely funny. Like Roseanne, she has a big personality and screen presence that is definitely compelling enough to headline her own sitcom.
When I'd heard earlier this year that ABC had given "Cristela" a full-season pickup, I assumed the show was virtually guaranteed for a second season. But upon further reflection, I realized I haven't heard "Cristela" mentioned with the same excited buzz in the media as ABC's two other breakout hits with minority casts: "Black-ish" and "Fresh off the Boat."
It's possible that "Cristela" needs a different time slot. It airs on Fridays at 8:30 after the Tim Allen sitcom "Last Man Standing."
It may be that Allen's viewers - and viewers, in general, who are home watching TV on Friday nights - are older and more conservative and less likely to be interested in Cristela, who is 36 but looks like she could be in her 20s.
As much as I don't believe in lumping minorities together, "Cristela" might fare better if the show were paired with "Black-ish," "Fresh off the Boat" or even "The Goldbergs," which revolves around a Jewish family in the '80s.
There has been much hoopla in the press about how "Black-ish," "Fresh off the Boat" and the cultural phenomenon of Fox's "Empire" represent the growing diversity of television audiences. (You can read my take on "Empire" by clicking this link.)
I just hope "Cristela" will get to ride this new wave of diversity for at least one more season.
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