Cristela
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''Cristela'' is an American
multi-camera The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, multi-camera or simply multicam is a method of filmmaking, television production and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on ...
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
television series that aired from October 10, 2014, until April 17, 2015, on ABC. The series was created by
stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...
comedian Cristela Alonzo, who also starred in and wrote for the series and served as an executive producer with co-creator Kevin Hench, Becky Clements, Marty Adelstein, and
Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...
for
20th Century Fox Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...
. This made her the first Latina to create, produce, write, and star in her own primetime comedy. The series was canceled by ABC on May 7, 2015.


Synopsis

The series chronicles the life of Cristela Hernandez, a
Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
law school graduate living in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, who must balance her chance to live the American Dream by working as an unpaid intern at a law firm with the concerns of her family, including her sister Daniela (who thinks she should get a paying job), her brother-in-law Felix (who thinks of her as a freeloader), and her mother Natalia (who wants her to settle down and marry). At work, she deals with her boss Trent Culpepper (who is prone to unintentional racist statements), his daughter Maddie (who could not care less about working, and is described by Cristela as a 'rich spoiled white girl'), and Josh (who is her love interest for the series).


Cast


Main cast

* Cristela Alonzo as Cristela Hernandez, a sassy and sarcastic aspiring attorney who lives with her sister and brother-in-law * Maria Canals-Barrera as Daniela Gonzalez (née Hernandez), Cristela's over-the-top, vain sister who is the manager of a call center * Carlos Ponce as Felix Gonzalez, Cristela's brother-in-law, married to Daniela, Cristela's sister * Terri Hoyos as Natalia Hernandez, Cristela's and Daniela's critical, old-fashioned mother who constantly refers to growing up in poverty in a Mexican village * Andrew Leeds as Josh, Cristela's competitive co-worker from a privileged background, and her possible love interest *
Sam McMurray Samuel McMurray (born April 15, 1952) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Supervisor Patrick O'Boyle in the CBS sitcom series ''The King of Queens'', Glen in the Coen Brothers comedy film '' Raising Arizona'', Trent Culpepper in th ...
as Trent Culpepper, Cristela's greedy boss who frequently makes racist comments * Justine Lupe as Maddie Culpepper, Trent's materialistic daughter and Cristela's ditzy co-worker * Isabella Day as Isabella Gonzalez, Felix and Daniela's daughter * Jacob Guenther as Henry Gonzalez, Felix and Daniela's son


Recurring cast

* Gabriel Iglesias as Alberto, Felix's annoying cousin and co-worker who is in love with Cristela (much to her dismay) * Adam Shapiro as Ben Buckner, an associate who works with Cristela and later becomes interested in her romantically


Characters mentioned but not seen

* Juanita Canales, the family's neighbor; Natalia and Juanita are always trying to one-up each other, and Natalia openly expresses hatred for Juanita to the family. * Mr. Hernandez, Cristela, Daniela, and Eddie's father, and Natalia's estranged husband, who left the family immediately after Cristela was born


Guest stars

*
Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American businessman and television personality. He is the former principal owner and current minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and co-owner of 2929 Entertain ...
as himself *
Valente Rodriguez Valente Rodriguez (born February 14, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ernie Cardenas on the sitcom '' George Lopez''. He also starred as Cesar in the TV Land sitcom '' Happily Divorced'', as well as guest starring on ...
as Eduardo "Eddie" Hernandez, Cristela and Daniela's brother who works in Oklahoma. He is Natalia's favorite child, due to him being her only son. *
Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952), also known mononymously as Roseanne, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (19 ...
as Veronica Culpepper (née Price), Trent's estranged third wife who is also a lawyer. She openly dislikes her husband, but becomes a friend of Cristela. *
Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...
as Mike Baxter, from '' Last Man Standing'' *
Héctor Elizondo Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American character actor. He is known for playing Phillip Watters in the television series '' Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000) and Ed Alzate in the television series '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021 ...
as Ed Alzate, from ''Last Man Standing''


Production

In 2013, Alonzo created her own semi-autobiographical comedy pilot ''Cristela'' for ABC. It was not greenlit as a part of the 2013–14 television season, but on February 26, 2014, ABC ordered another pilot presentation, and filmed a full-length pilot on the stage of '' Last Man Standing'', where it got a strong testing from the audience. On May 10, 2014, ABC picked up the pilot to series for the 2014–15 television season. On November 24, 2014, ''Cristela'' was picked up for a full season.


Crossover with ''Last Man Standing''

On February 9, 2015, ABC announced that ''Cristela'' would cross over with fellow ABC Friday night sitcom '' Last Man Standing'', with that show's star
Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...
appearing in the episode "Last Goose Standing".


Cancellation

The series was canceled by ABC on May 7, 2015. ABC cited the show's live ratings as the reason for its cancellation.


Episodes


Reception


Critical response

The series started with mixed reviews from critics despite praise for Alonzo's performance. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, ''Cristela'' has a rating of 52%, based on 31 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading, "Though Cristela Alonzo has a pleasing energy, ''Cristelas disappointing supporting cast and uneven writing ruin the show's attempts at humor."
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
gave the show a score of 61 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable review". However, as the season progressed, ''Cristela'' began earning more positive reviews.


Ratings

Although the series initially premiered to decent ratings, ratings gradually declined throughout the season, resulting in its cancellation.


Season overview


By episode


Broadcast

In Australia, ''Cristela'' premiered on Fox8 on February 1, 2015. In Italy, '' Cristela'' premiered on
Fox Comedy Fox Comedy was a television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group, which aired in Australia, Poland, Portugal, and Italy. Its basic programming included numerous comedy series and films. History It was launched in Italy on November 1, 201 ...
September 5, 2015.


References


External links

* * {{IMDb title, 3729144 2010s American multi-camera sitcoms 2014 American television series debuts 2015 American television series endings 2010s American legal television series American English-language television shows Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television shows set in Dallas Hispanic and Latino American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company sitcoms