NBC has cancelled Eva Longoria’s Telenovela after one season, plus freshman comedy Crowded, Variety has learned.
Telenovela gave a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional telenovela and its star who does not speak Spanish, played by Longoria.
Telenovela was the vehicle set to bring Longoria back to TV, following her stardom on ABC’s Desperate Housewives. The Latino-themed sitcom was one of the hottest projects last development season, entering a bidding war between a couple of networks, before landing at NBC with a straight-to-series 13-episode order – the only way Longoria would commit to the project.
NBC trimmed the episode order from 13 to 11, and did the same for Superstore, which stars America Ferrera. However, Superstore landed an early S2 renewal, after performing well – and better than Telenovela. Even with its star-power in Longoria, Telenovela was also the lower rated of the two.
NBC has also cancelled freshman medical drama Heartbeat and mystery thriller Game Of Silence, Variety has learned.
Heartbeat, originally called Heartbreaker, starred Melissa George as a world-renowned heart-transplant surgeon. The series was scheduled to air in the fall but was pushed to midseason due to George’s real-life pregnancy.
Game Of Silence, currently in the midst of its run, will finish out its season in the US, despite the cancellation. The series revolves around five best friends who have a dark secret they thought was buried 25 years ago, but they soon discover that you can’t hide your past forever. David Lyons, Claire Van Der Boom, Michael Raymond James, Larenz Tate, Bre Blair, Conor O’Farrell, Deidrie Henry, Demetrius Grosse and Derek Phillips starred. – Reuters/Elizabeth Wagmeister
