NBC has officially pulled the plug on Eva Longoria comedy Telenovela, cancelling the showbiz satire after one season.
Ordered straight to series in January 2015, Telenovela followed the goings-on at Las Leyes de Pasion, a fictional soap opera headed by neurotic lead Ana Sofia Calderon (Longoria). The dynamic of the show, as well as the course of Ana Sofia’s life, quickly changes once Ana’s ex-husband Xavi (Jencarlos Canela) gets added on to the show.
Though Telenovela‘s numbers were weak enough for cancellation, said numbers did not happen in a vacuum. NBC scheduled the show in an offbeat way, premiering it behind The Voice before releasing an episode online that was aired on television weeks later and airing the remaining eight episodes in place of The Voice, that didn’t allow a great opportunity for sampling. In addition to being placed with an unproven comedy in Superstore, which found a ratings foothold by a miracle itself, and a weak Biggest Loser lead-out, the series was up against competition that included The Bachelor, the NCAA College Football Champion, the Grammys, and Love & Hip Hop, leaving it fairly unprotected.
If NBC is going to find a comedy presence after years of being heavily drama, they’re going to have to do some protective scheduling and not just for shows with acclaim like The Carmichael Show. Putting comedies in poor situations and simply expecting them to perform by some sheer force of luck is a maddening, self-defeating strategy that turns their comedy woes into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Frankly, with its international appeal, A-list star, and in-house production, Telenovela deserved better.
In addition to Longoria and Canela, Telenovela starred Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break), Jose Moreno Brooks (Baby Daddy), Diana Maria Riva (What Women Want), Jadyn Douglas (Greetings From Tim Buckley), Alex Meneses (Selena), and Izzy Diaz (Redacted). The series is the second NBC comedy this season to be cancelled, following the quick demise of Friday resident Truth Be Told.
NBC is set to unveil their plans for the 2016-2017 season on Sunday, May 15th. You can check out what KSiteTV thought the network could do next season here, as well as our argument as to why Telenovela deserved a second season here.
Will you miss Telenovela? Do you think NBC’s treatment of the show contributed to its untimely demise? Can NBC effectively gain a comedy presence when they’re so heavily dramatic right now?
