Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Cristela

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7.4/10
TV

Genre
  
Sitcom

Composer(s)
  
John Swihart

First episode date
  
10 October 2014

6.5/10
IMDb

52%
Rotten Tomatoes

Theme music composer
  
Dave Thomas Jr.

Country of origin
  
United States

Cristela wwwgstaticcomtvthumbtvbanners10777563p10777

Created by
  
Cristela Alonzo Kevin Hench

Starring
  
Cristela Alonzo María Canals Barrera Carlos Ponce Terri Hoyos Andrew Leeds Sam McMurray Justine Lupe Isabella Day Jacob Guenther Gabriel Iglesias

Network
  
American Broadcasting Company

Executive producers
  
Cristela Alonzo, Kevin Hench, Becky Clements, Marty Adelstein, Shawn Levy

Cast
  
Cristela Alonzo, Carlos Ponce, María Canals Barrera, Terri Hoyos, Justine Lupe

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Cristela trailer


Cristela is an American multi-camera sitcom television series that aired from October 10, 2014, through April 17, 2015, on ABC. The series was created by stand-up 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 for Fox Television Studios. 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.

Contents

Cristela a slice of real life


Synopsis

The series chronicles the life of Cristela Hernandez, a Mexican-American law school graduate living in Dallas, Texas, 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).

Main cast

  • Cristela Alonzo as Cristela Hernandez, a sassy and sarcastic aspiring attorney who lives with her sister and brother-in-law
  • María 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 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 Canalas, the family's neighbor; Natalia and Juanita are always trying to one-up each other, and Nathalia openly expresses hatred for Juanita to the family.
  • Mr. Hernandez, Cristela and Daniela's father, and Nathalia's estranged husband, who left the family immediately after Cristela was born

    • Guest stars

  • Mark Cuban as himself
  • Valente Rodriguez as Eduardo "Eddie" Hernandez, Cristela and Daniela's brother who works in Oklahoma
  • Roseanne Barr 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 as Mike Baxter, from Last Man Standing
  • Héctor Elizondo 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 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.

    Critical response

    The series started with mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, Cristela has a rating of 52%, based on 31 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading, "Though Cristela Alonzo has a pleasing energy, Cristela's disappointing supporting cast and uneven writing ruin the show's attempts at humor." Metacritic 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.

    Broadcast

    In Australia, Cristela premiered on Fox8 on February 1, 2015.

    References

    Cristela Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA