Fútbol and telenovelas might continue to deliver record-breaking
audience numbers to Hispanic-targeted networks,
but this upcoming TV season comes with the
promise of thrills that go beyond the usual programming
fare.
Starting this September, Hispanic-targeted broadcast and cable
networks are rolling out a varied mix that includes a reality
show around a norteño star; a survival test on a Caribbean island;
a motivational speaker working to keep families together,
á la Dr. Phil; a beauty competition featuring curvy Latinas; a series
showing Hispanics how to better handle their money; and a
daily sports show that puts social media at its forefront.
The new season brings content in both English and Spanish,
targets both the acculturated and recent immigrants and, more
importantly, seeks to lure advertisers to the “trillion-dollar opportunity,”
as the Hispanic market has come to be known.
Multichannel News takes a look at what’s cooking on Hispanic
television for the fall season.
Mario Lopez 1-on-1
Network: nuvoTV
Air date: Sept. 13
One of Hollywood’s favorite Mexican-Americans is at the center of nuvoTV’s upcoming Mario Lopez 1-on-1, a series of exclusive
chats with some of the biggest Latino stars, including actors George Lopez and Eva Longoria and star athletes Mark Sánchez and
Oscar de la Hoya. The 30-minute weekly show features Lopez sitting down with prominent Latinos to chat about their lives, their
careers and how they got to where they are. “It is a show about Latinos, for Latinos, but we’re not going to hit you in the head with a
tortilla,” Lopez, who is also executive producer, said.
The first episode features New York Jets quarterback Sánchez and airs Sept. 13.
Mario is Lopez’s first TV show specifically targeting U.S. Hispanics.
Larrymania
Network: mun2
Air date: Oct. 7
Who says norteño singers live a simple life? Mun2, the Telemundo-owned cable network targeting bilingual
Hispanics, this month premieres Larrymania, a weekly reality series featuring the glamorous life of Larry
Hernandez, a famed singer and fashion icon, as he jet-sets from his homes in Los Angeles, Phoenix and
Mexico. “Larry Hernandez is not your typical TV star […] This is a guy who used to plant beans in his native
Culiacán,” Flavio Morales, mun2’s senior vice president of programming and production said of the
star of Larrymania, who is also shown as a regular family guy dealing with the ups and downs of stardom.
The show is in Spanish, but will feature English subtitles.
Hablemos claro con Cuauhtémoc
Network: Telemundo
Air date: Sept. 10
Call it the “Hispanic Dr. Phil.” Motivational writer and public speaker Carlos Cuauhtémoc Sanchez takes to the airwaves to help Hispanic
families sort out all types of sticky situations, from bullying and weight problems to teenage moms and drug abuse. Hablemos
claro con Cuauhtémoc, expected to run during daytime, is produced for Blaya Media Productions for Telemundo. “I want to create quality
shows that deal with the topics that matter most to Hispanics,” Joaquin Blaya, a former Univision CEO who now runs his own production
company, said. “But I want to do this in a serious, entertaining way.”
La Isla
Network: Azteca America
Air date: Premiered Aug. 27
Pitched as a “new proposal” in Hispanic television, La Isla is a reality series featuring 12 Mexican celebrities and four challengers competing
in a fight to survive on a Carribean island for a final grand prize of $2 million pesos (about $150,000). Filmed on location in the
Dominican Republic, La Isla airs at 8 p.m. (ET) and is hosted by Alejandro Lukini.
Among other celebrities, La Isla features Julia Orayen, the Argentina-born model and former Playboy Playmate, who set off a
media frenzy earlier this year when she appeared as an usher at a Mexican presidential debate wearing a skin-tight dress with a
plunging neckline.
Caras del Odio
Network: Discovery en Español
Air date: Oct. 28
An original Discovery production, Caras del odio (The Faces of Hatred) focuses on hate crimes commited against Hispanics living in the
U.S. The hourlong documentary zeroes in on some of the nation’s most prominent cases, including the 2008 murder of Mexican immigrant
Luis Ramirez in Pennsylania and the 2010 killing of Juan Varela, a U.S. citizen of Mexican descent, in Arizona.
“We wanted to take an objective look at two cases that were linked to hate crimes against Hispanics,” Eileen Piñeiro, director of content
at Discovery U.S. Hispanic, said.
The documentary chronicles each case and takes a deep dive into how the U.S. legal system deals with these crimes and how the law
is applied to the perpetrators at trial.
Produced in Spanish, Caras de Odio was taped in Pennsylvania, Washington and Arizona and will air as part of the network’s “Discovery
Presenta” series of Sunday-night specials.
Curvy Girls
Network: nuvoTV
Air date: To be announced
In hopes of taking the definition of beauty to new heights — and widths — nuvoTV this season will premiere
Curvy Girls, a reality TV show that follows five Latina women as they go through life working as plus-size models
and face the grueling world of the fashion industry and modeling agencies.
Among the curvy girls featured is Rosie Mercado, a single mom who is determined to become the world’s
first plus-size supermodel. As one of them says in a preview episode, “Who says being a plus-size model means
being fat?”
Curvy Girls is produced in English.
Redes
Network: ESPN Deportes
Air date: December
From its studios in Bristol, Conn., ESPN Deportes is putting the final touches on Redes, a half-hour daily show that looks at the
world of sports from the perspective of social media. “What’s interesting about this show is that we will not only be focused on Latino
sports, but on sports in general,” ESPN Deportes vice president of international production Rodolfo Martinez said. Hosted by
Venezuelan TV personality and veteran ESPN Deportes commentator Carolina Guillén, the series, to air Monday through Friday
at 8 p.m., is set to debut Dec. 1. It’s one of four new shows ESPN Deportes is set to premiere this season.
Empuje (Working Title)
Network: Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más
Air date: Late October
Cuban-American TV host and model Daisy Fuentes narrates this Tr3s documentary series, produced in
partnership with the Pan American Health & Education Foundation. The goal: To match a professional
athlete with a Latino youth looking to have a healthier lifestyle. Among the athletes enlisted for the series
is Henry Cejudo, the youngest U.S. wrestler to bring home the gold in Beijing 2008 Olympics, and
Ary Nuñez, a personal trainer from Brooklyn who works with pop star Rihanna.
A Tr3s spokesperson says the show “reinforces Tr3s’ original content strategy of including more
socially-driven programming to its grid.”
Los Héroes del Norte
Network: Galavision
Air date: Sept. 16
A co-production between Grupo Televisa and Adicta Films, Los Héros del Norte earned some recordbreaking
ratings when it first aired in its native Mexico in 2010. Now, this “norteño teleseries,” featuring
five misfits who become famous overnight, is coming to Galavision.
Los Héroes del Norte is the brainchild of Mexican filmmaker Gustavo Loza, whose idea to bring nontelenovela
content to Televisa was welcomed by the media giant.
The weekly comedic adventure is shot in movie format and airs in Spanish.
Mis Finanzas con Julie Stav
Network: Utilísima
Air date: Oct. 15
Personal-finance maven Julie Stav recently joined Utilísima to star in her own 13-episode series, titled Mis finanzas con Julie Stav,
helping Hispanics better organize their finance and touching on such topics as organizing savings and checking accounts, as
well as planning a mortgage or applying for a credit card.
A network spokesperson confirms the show will kick off production in September at Fox Toma 1 studios in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mis Finanzas premieres Monday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) .
