New Latina TV Show ‘The Gordita Chronicles’ Coming to HBO
The upcoming HBO series The Gordita Chronicles sounds like Real Women Have Curves meets One Day at a Time with a dash of Ugly Betty and we’re here for it
Photo: Instagram/claudiforest
The upcoming HBO series The Gordita Chronicles sounds like Real Women Have Curves meets One Day at a Time with a dash of Ugly Betty and we’re here for it. Loosely based on the life of series writer Claudia Forestieri, the show focuses on a Latina journalist who reminisces on her childhood “as a chubby, willful and reluctant Dominican immigrant growing up with her eccentric family in 1980s Miami,” Deadline reports. Foresteri was an award-winning producer for Telemundo’s L.A. affiliate and she is an alumnus of ABC’s Disney Writing Program, HBO’s Access Writing Fellowship, NALIP’s Latino Writers Lab and NBC’s Writers on the Verge program.
Her venture into television screenwriting includes work on Freeform’s Good Trouble and the upcoming Selena: The Series on Netflix (which she’s also co-producing). Forestieri is bilingual and was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Miami, and is of Dominican-Italian descent. Deadline describes the upcoming series a coming-of-age family comedy produced by Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures. Josh Berman – creator and executive producer on Drop Dead Diva – will executive produce the series.
I'm very honored to have won my 1st #Emmy. Thank u #telemundo52 & most of all, the viewers! AKA "los televidentes." pic.twitter.com/KPe2KqmPZr
— Claudia Forestieri (@PlanetClaudia) July 28, 2014
The announcement comes as the focus on Latinx representation on TV grows with the upcoming debut of Gentefied and The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia both of which debuted on Netflix. Shows like Vida and One Day at a Time – which returns on PopTV on March 24 – are beloved by viewers and are currently the two most prominent shows featuring our community on TV. The Gordita Chronicles joins Jane the Virgin, Cristela, and Ugly Betty in the pantheon of comedy series starring a Latina in the feature role. HBO is also the home of the popular Latinx horror series Los Espookys, so hopefully, The Gordita Chronicles will also resonate with viewers and amplify our voice.
So far many industry folk and media organizations including NALIP (The National Association of Latino Independent Producers) have shared their support for the series on social media.
I knew she was a star the moment I met her in the Selena room. Congrats, @PlanetClaudia!!! https://t.co/L6KdzHE2m7
— Aaron Serna (@AaronSerna) February 19, 2020
We are so happy to see NALIPster, Claudia Forestieri’s (@PlanetClaudia) project, The Gordita Chronicles, come to life. Read more about the comedy series’ development through HBO Max here: https://t.co/cRAu9YlFMt | #WeAreInclusion pic.twitter.com/NMt2YOsGTT
— NALIP (@NALIP_org) February 19, 2020
Let's all take a moment to give @PlanetClaudia a slow-mo round of applause for this awesome achievement. Congrats!https://t.co/UcsO54Ltjd
— Hollywood Latinx Writers (@LatinxWritersLA) February 19, 2020
No casting information or release date has been revealed yet as the show is still in development. In the meantime, you can catch Forestieri’s work on Selena: The Series which is set to debut later this year.
