Here's What Would've Happened if These Latinx-Led Shows Hadn't Ended

When HBO Max announced that it was picking up The Gordita Chronicles in May 2021, the streamer's head of originals touted that the company was "proud to work with the powerhouse Latinx talent in front of and behind the camera." However, around a month after the show aired, the streamer canceled the series. Despite high ratings on review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and critical acclaim that included The LA Times calling the show the "sitcom of the summer," Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max decided the streamer was moving away from family programming. Unfortunately, Gordita Chronicles wasn't in the plans. It's a story that's all too familiar in Hollywood. Time and time again, Latinx-led TV and entertainment projects are championed by networks and lauded by fans, only to be swiftly taken off the air for one reason or another. In the case of The Gordita Chronicles, it was because of HBO Max's abrupt shift from family content. But for many series, there's no explanation given at all. For instance, Disney+'s Diary of a Future President made it through only two seasons before the company opted not to renew it, despite the show also gaining positive reviews. Hispanic Heritage Month Series: Celebrating Culture and Calling for Representation And through it all, fans are seldom left with closure. The trend of Latinx and Hispanic-led shows and movies disappearing from the airwaves is too significant for companies to sweep under the rug, already inspiring a bevy of think pieces and calls to action for studios to "stop erasing Latinos from the screen." Gordita Chronicles, in particular, caused a significant online backlash. The show was praised as a relatable portrayal of immigrant families, exploring storylines that are seldom seen on popular media. And the audience that it connected with did not want to let it go, as the hashtag #SaveGorditaChronicles trended on social media shortly after the cancellation news. And the Latinx erasure isn't contained to TV alone. In August, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled its $90 million Batgirl movie, starring Dominican-American Leslie Grace, who was set to portray the first Afro-Latina Batgirl. Instead, the film was tucked away, and a significant step in representation was reduced to a simple tax write-off for a major media conglomerate. So in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Adweek caught up with the creators behind three series that were taken away too soon: The Gordita Chronicles, Diary of a Future President and One Day at a Time. In the wake of unresolved storylines and fans left in the dark, we had a simple question: If the shows hadn't been taken off the air, what would've happened next? Here's what the creators behind those series had to say: The Gordita Chronicles Olivia Goncalves in The Gordita Chronicles. What it was about: Created by Claudia Forestieri, and with high-profile executive producers Zoe Saldaña and Eva Longoria, Gordita Chronicles is a story through the eyes of Cucu Castelli (Olivia Goncalves), a reporter who narrates her childhood in the '80s as a "gordita," a.k.a. a slightly chubby kid. Throughout the show, she recalls the lives of her humorous family, who immigrated to Miami from the Dominican Republic. Cucu's relatives include her popular sister, Emilia (Savannah Nicole Ruiz); her ambitious mother, Adela (Diana Maria Riva); and her more traditional father, Victor (Juan Javier Cardenas). How it ended: With HBO Max canceling the series, the show concluded with its Season 1 finale, its tenth episode, "In America We're Brave." In the episode, the Castelli family discovers they're the topic of "chisme," or gossip, in Santo Domingo, leaving them to try to prove that they're thriving in Miami. Victor ultimately turns down family money in favor of doing things their own way to make it in America, and Adela tells him that she wants to find a job to help support the family's dreams. Emilia stands up to Cari (Adriana Sofia Fontánez), and Mari (Hadasha Leon) and Dani (Tatiana McQuay) prove they're true friends by standing by her. Meanwhile, Cucu competes in the Little Miss Dade County Pageant and finally tells her crush, Yoshy (Noah Rico), that she likes him. What happens next: “We had some fantastic storylines for Season 2 that explored the concept of developing an American identity," series creator Forestieri told Adweek. Forestieri said that Cucu would reinvent herself, fall in love with rock and roll, make new friends (and enemies) and even run for class president in future episodes. Meanwhile, Emilia’s new romance with Rigo (Noah Cottrell)—as well as her relationship with drama—was going to be filled with landmines in the form of Mari, Dani, Cari and her own parents. In addition, Adela would struggle to find a job and learn the difficulties of being a working mother. Victor would break his "machista" Dominican dad mold by becoming a "Señor Mom" while juggling new duties at Starboard Air. "And as the series continued into seasons three and beyond, we’d see Mami and Papi dealing with bouts of nostalgia for their homeland and clinging to Dominican customs as the girls grew more and more attached to American ways,” Forestieri added. Diary of a Future President Tess Romero and Gina Rodriguez in Diary of a Future President. What it was about: Created by Ilana Peña, and with Gina Rodriguez serving as executive producer, Diary of a Future President was the story of Cuban American Elena Cañero-Reed's journey to the White House. The show was told through a series of voice-overs as the future POTUS reads past diary entries, with Tess Romero starring as the teenage version of Elena and Rodriguez playing the future character. In addition, the series chronicles the journeys of Elena's family, including Bobby (Charlie Bushnell), Elena's older brother who is coming to terms with his sexuality, and Gabi (Selenis Leyva), Elena's widowed mother who has a career as a lawyer. How it ended: Disney canceled the series after two seasons, making the Season 2 ending its unexpected finale. In the episode, Bobby starts a relationship with CJ (Donovin Miller) and seeks advice from Camila (Jessica Marie Garcia), who accidentally reveals her plans to propose to Danielle (Ellie Reed) right as her partner enters the room. Instead of doing a speech, Elena asks the students what they want to see change, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger where Elena is shocked by the voting results for student representative. What happens next: "There was so much we had left to say!" Peña told Adweek. "I was actually thinking about skipping a year and getting Elena and Bobby in high school together. I was excited to portray the pressures to achieve that Elena certainly would have felt, exploring the burnout that's all too common among kids (and adults) these days." The series creator explained that Bobby would be in the throes of his first relationship with CJ; however, a love triangle with Liam (Brandon Severs) would loom large. Peña also had big plans for Gabi. "I had so many ideas for Gabi—co-parenting high schoolers with Sam [Michael Weaver], introducing her sister, maybe having her look at a career outside of law. And of course, being maid of honor for the event of the year, Camila and Danielle’s wedding!" the series creator said. "I'm forever sad we didn't get to grow with this family, but I like to think somewhere, Bobby's brainstorming couple's costumes for Halloween (but with who?!) and Elena is already thinking about her campaign for senior class president." One Day at a Time Tony Plana, Rita Moreno, Justina Machado and James Martinez in One Day at a Time. What it was about: Written by Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce, One Day at a Time was loosely based on the former CBS series of the same name and followed three generations of a Cuban-American family living under one roof, including a newly divorced mother, Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado); her teenage daughter, Elena (Isabella Gomez); her tween son, Alex (Marcel Ruiz); and her old-school mother, Lydia (Rita Moreno). How it ended: The show aired for three seasons on Netflix before the streamer canceled it. Pop TV picked up the series for a fourth season, but due to Covid-19 production delays, the final episode was turned into an animated special, "The Politics Episode." In the final episode, Penelope's conservative family plans a visit, so she tries to figure out how to avoid fighting with them about their differing political views. The family all play out different possible scenarios. Several other Season 4 episodes were left unfinished. What happens next: A representative for Calderón Kellett sent Adweek a list of the writer’s plans for future seasons. According to the writer, the series was built out through a fifth or sixth season, and there were also hours of episodes the series didn’t get to due to Covid-19. One Season 4 episode would've included Lydia's birthday celebration and have singing and dancing. Another had emotional monologues and featured Elena wanting to stay in LA after getting accepted at Yale. Machado would direct a Season 5 episode focusing on religion, and future stories would also explore Penelope's love life with Max (Ed Quinn). Where things go from here In today's streaming wars, cancellations aren't always permanent. For instance, Lucifer, Magnum P.I. and The Expanse are some recent examples of shows that all found new networks. Plus, Sony Pictures Television, the same company that found One Day at a Time a new home on Pop TV, is already shopping The Gordita Chronicles around, looking for a new platform. So, despite the shows ending, fans may still get the chance to see these stories play out after all.