By: Erik Pedersen
Univision has pulled the curtain on the 2017-18 slate that it will present at the upfronts next week in Manhattan. The Spanish-language broadcast TV network’s programming will focus on what it calls “passion points” that drive its audience engagement: soccer, news, family, music and drama.
Univision will return such popular series as drama El Chapo (Season 2), music competition show La Banda (Season 3) and the Sunday newsmag Aqui y Ahora (Here and Now), along with live sports including the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The net also will debut a handful of drama series including Papá a Toda Madre (The Mother of all Dads) and El Último Dragón (The Last Dragon) and the music-focused Barrio Records, about a reggaetón record label, its artists and the shady, cutthroat powerbrokers behind the scenes.
Here is Univision’s slate that it will present at the upfront, with descriptions from the network:
SPORTS
Union of European Football Associations UEFA Champions League – Each year, from August to June, the top soccer teams from professional leagues across Europe compete in the world’s most prestigious club tournament, the UEFA Champions League. Featuring international powerhouses like Real Madrid FC (SPA), FC Barcelona (SPA), Chelsea (ENG), Manchester City (ENG), Bayern Munich (GER), Juventus (ITA), Benfica (POR), and global superstars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Agüero, Luis Suarez, Garth Bale, and Neymar Jr.,the UEFA Champions League has a new home, coming to Univision Deportes in August 2018. (Daytime and Primetime – Univision Network, UniMás & Univision Deportes Network)
UEFA Europa League – In August 2018, one of the premier tournaments in the world will kick off on UnivisionDeportes with some of the greatest and most respected teams across Europe. These teams will face off to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Historic clubs participating include Manchester United (ENG), AS Roma (ITA), AFC Ajax (HOL), Athletic Bilbao (SPA), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), featuring established soccer and rising talent from across Europe. The UEFA Europa League will be arriving to Univision Deportes in August 2018. (Daytime and Primetime – UniMás & Univision Deportes Network)
UEFA Nations League – In the Fall of 2018, the greatest nations in Europe face off in this newly-created tournament. In the end, only one country will hold the trophy and be crowned as the champion of Europe. Among the nations competing in this prestigious tournament are the 2014 World Cup Champion Germany, 2010 World Cup Champion Spain, 2006 World Cup Champion Italy, as well as England and Portugal, featuring global soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Garth Bale, Andres Iniesta, Wayne Rooney and Robert Lewandowski. The UEFA Nations League launches on Univision Deportes in September 2018. (Daytime – Univision Network, UniMás &Univision Deportes Network)
Coverage of 2018 FIFA World Cup – Univision Deportes, the undisputed home of soccer, will bring extensive coverage of the much-anticipated 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Complementing the live action on the field, fans can look to Univision Deportes for a unique primetime talk show, live multiplatform shows, a second-screen viewing option, and more. Univision Deportes will provide a dynamic slate of pre- and post-game expert analyses and complimentary programming across all Univision platforms. With many matches airing from Russia at off-peak viewing hours, Univision Deportes will air a unique primetime show that will not only recap that day’s action, but will merge the best of sports and entertainment, taking the viewers to Russia in the way only UnivisionDeportes knows how to do. (Primetime – Univision Network – Univision Deportes Network)
NEWS
“Aquí y Ahora” (Here & Now) – Univision’s weekly award-winning newsmagazine hosted by two of industry’s most respected and recognized journalists, Teresa Rodriguez and Maria Elena Salinas. The program features in-depth coverage, reporting and special editions about some of the most compelling news, investigative and human interest stories of our time. Airing in Sunday primetime, the new season of “Aquí y Ahora” brings audiences town halls with key leaders on issues of importance to Hispanics, celebrity interviews and specials that provide a deeper look into current events, trends and Entertainment. (Primetime – Univision Network)
FAMILY
“Tu Cara me Suena” (Your Face “Sounds” Familiar) – “Tu Cara me Suena” is an international blockbuster format in which well-known celebrities accept the challenge of singing live while impersonating a music icon. With the support of the best make-up artists and vocal coaches in the industry, the contestants will re-create performances from a range of popular musical genres from rock en Español to Colombian cumbia to regional Mexican. (Primetime – Univision Studios – Endemol Shine)
“A Jugar en Familia” (Keep it in the Family) – “A Jugar en Familia” is a family show where the kids are in charge. Three generations of two families go head-to-head in a series of games featuring the world’s biggest variety acts, well-known celebrities and hilarious challenges. The contestants vie for the opportunity to win money-can’t-buy prizes and the chance to win the vacation of a lifetime. (Primetime – Univision Studios – Syco Entertainment – ITV Studios)
“NBL Belleza Total” (NBL Total Beauty) – “NBL Belleza Total” features U.S.-Hispanic women competing to break through society’s stereotypes of beauty. This Univision Studios production, which builds off the NBL franchise’s success, combines the excitement of a reality show with the glamour of a beauty contest. “NBL Belleza Total” is for all women and about all women; accompanying contestants on their inspiring journeys, and uncovering their fears and joys as they represent the real beauty of Latina, both inside and out. (Primetime –Univision Studios)
“¡Mira Quién Baila! – 5ta Temporada” (Look Who’s Dancing! – Season 5) – Hosted by Chiquinquirá Delgado, “¡Mira Quién Baila!” pairs 10 beloved Hispanic celebrities with talented amateur dancers to compete in front of a live audience every week, dancing to a variety of different rhythms, all in the name of charity. A panel of well-known judges demands the best of contestants as they narrow the field, with the audience making the final decision and selecting the winner. The charity represented by the winning celebrity will receive a generous monetary prize. (Primetime – Univision Studios – Endemol Shine)
“Pequeños Gigantes USA – 2da Temporada” (Little Giants U.S.A. – Season 2) – In this family-friendly reality show, groups of adorable and talented children from throughout the U.S. sing and dance with hopes of being recognized as the most gifted little entertainer. The children, ages 6 through 11, are divided into six teams of four, and mentored by a celebrity as they compete throughout the season, with the winner announced during the show’s season finale. (Primetime – Univision Studios – Televisa
“La Banda – 3ra Temporada” (The Band – Season 3) – The hit pop music competition franchise that discovered and launched CNCO returns in 2018. The show, from Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, Saban Brands andUnivision Studios, features contestants from across the country once again competing for a chance to win a recording contract with Sony Music. (Primetime – Univision Studios – Syco Entertainment – Saban Brands)
MUSIC
Luis Miguel Bio-series – Univision and Pedro Torres, Luis Miguel’s long-time producer and one of his most trusted confidants, collaborate to bring viewers an unforgettable bio-series about one of the most successful and prestigious artists in Latin American history, Luis Miguel, affectionately known as “El Sol de Mexico” (The Sun of Mexico). This series tells the story of the international icon and multi-platinum artist starting with his childhood, when he became a star under his father’s management and was dealing with his mother’s disappearance, to his adulthood and conflicting relationships. (Primetime – Univision Network – Curiosity Media)
“Barrio Records” (Neighborhood Records) – Story House Entertainment brings to life the sounds that exploded in Puerto Rico and mixes the best of hip-hop with a Caribbean beat, reggaetón. “Barrio Records” is the tale of a reggaetón record label, its artists and the shady, cutthroat powerbrokers behind the scenes. (Primetime – UnivisionNetwork – Story House Entertainment
DRAMA
“El Chapo” – 2da Temporada (“El Chapo” – Season 2) – This is the continuing saga of one of the world’s most notorious criminals, whose story Hispanic America can’t get enough of. Combining the world-class reporting and insights from Univision News’ investigative team with an outstanding team of talented storytellers and producers, “El Chapo” Season 2 continues to explore Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán’s rise to power in the Sinaloa Cartel and his ultimate downfall. (Primetime – Univision Network – Story House Entertainment)
“Mi Marido Tiene Familia” (My Husband has a Family) – This dramedy pokes fun at traditional attitudes toward the extended family in a modern marriage. The main characters are blissfully happy and planning their future when a twist of fate lands them in a difficult and comical situation: their in-laws, who they thought lived abroad, are actually their new landlords. Riddled with lawsuits and laughter, the characters experience a whirlwind of emotions and adventures as they navigate their new reality and rediscover happiness. (Primetime – UnivisionNetwork – Televisa)
“Papá a Toda Madre” – (The Mother of all Dads) – “Papá a Toda Madre” is the story of frivolous business owner Mauricio, played by Hispanic America’s beloved heartthrob Sebastian Rulli, who is forced to grow up when confronted with an unconventional situation: a 9-year old girl shows up claiming to be his daughter. The revelation throws off Mauricio’s plans to marry into wealth to save his family business, which his best friend has led into bankruptcy, and he enlists his ex-employee to help raise the girl. In the midst of a love story full of unexpected arcs, Mauricio discovers his best friend is actually the girl’s father, and he must choose between saving his company and fighting for his new family. (Primetime – Univision Network – Televisa)
“Amar Después de Amar” (To Love After Loving) – In this thrilling tale, two families’ lives collide when a car accident reveals an unsettling affair. A father of twin boys who owns a fishing company and a well-off mother of two teenagers experience love at first sight at a school meeting, but fight their adulterous urges in order to save their marriages and protect their children. That is, until the accident reveals the two were in the car together – with the mother having gone missing, and the father falling into a coma. Dozens of questions arise and truths are revealed as the nail-biting drama unfolds. (Primetime – Univision Network – Televisa)
“El Último Dragón” (The Last Dragon) – This crime drama spans the globe, with the main character, played by Kuno Becker, living in Japan and traveling through Asia, America and Europe to conduct business. The story begins by showing how he got there: as a boy, and a grandson of the Sinaloa Cartel, he is sent away by his grandfather after his parents are murdered in Mexico. Picking up in Japan 20 years later, the handsome and educated young man lives with simplicity and sobriety, unknowingly being prepared by his grandfather’s confidante—a member of Japan’s largest organized crime syndicate, the Japanese Yakuza—to represent his family back home, as the heir of narcos. (Primetime – Univision Network – W Studios)
Source: Deadline
