Page 2 - 2016TVTimesMay29

2 July 21 - 27, 2019 cover story
El Dorado News-Times
By Kyla Brewer
TV Media
With its stunning hotels, sizzling-hot beaches and even hotter nightlife, Miami is a haven for people looking for a taste of the high life.Yet, life in Miami isn’t all fun in the sun, and a new series set in a posh hotel explores the dark side of the sunshine state.
Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir (“A Better Life,” 2011) stars as Santiago Mendoza, the owner of Miami Beach’s last family-run hotel, in “Grand Hotel,” airing Monday, July 22, on ABC. Inspired by the popular Spanish TV series “Gran Hotel,” the drama offers viewers a modern take on the classic up- stairs-downstairs story as it follows the lives of the Mendozas and their wealthy guests, along with those of their loyal working-class staff.The original Spanish series was a period drama, but ABC has updated the American version of the show and set the action in multicultural Miami, an area brimming with Latin American culture.
While the gorgeous hotel provides
a luxurious setting for the series, it was quickly revealed in the June 17 pilot that the Mendoza’s business was in trouble. The family has been plagued by escalat- ing debt and scandals, not to mention explosive secrets.
A welcome respite from a summer scheduleladenwithrealityTVshows, “GrandHotel”isaprime-timesoap
for today’s discerning TV fans, rife with a mysterious disappearance, an unex- pected pregnancy and maybe even mur- der. Eva Longoria (“Desperate House- wives”) — who executive produces, directs and appears in the series — has promised that the new show will deliver plenty of summertime drama.
“’GrandHotel’isgoingtohavealot of twists and turns — big twists, big turns, big surprises — almost every episode,” Longoria said in an official ABCQ&Avideo.“Whatwillkeeppeople coming back is falling in love with the journeys of each of these characters and really caring about their arcs and where they’re going, and then also discovering who they were. Some of them will have a past that catches up to them.”
Longoria guest stars as Beatriz Mendoza, Santiago’s first wife and the originalownerofthehotel,whoap- pearsinaseriesofflashbacks.Herfam- ily had owned the Riviera Grand Hotel for generations, and the business was
Denyse Tontz as seen in “Grand Hotel”
Hot stuff
ABC’s ‘Grand Hotel’ puts the sizzle in summer
passed down to her husband after she died.Accordingtoofficialrecords,Bea- trizdiedofaheartattack,but“Grand Hotel” plot twists soon cast doubt on that conclusion.
In addition to Bichir, the main cast includes a bevy of beautiful, talented performers. Roselyn Sanchez (“With- out a Trace”) plays Santiago’s second wife, Gigi, who also happened to have been Beatriz’s best friend. She butts headswithAlicia(DenyseTontz,“The Fosters”), Beatriz and Santiago’s adult daughter, who recently returned to the hotel after graduating with an MBA fromCornell.Alicia’sbrother,Javi(Bryan Craig, “General Hospital”), is the hotel’s resident playboy. In Gigi’s camp are
her twin daughters: the self-obsessed Carolina (Feliz Ramirez, “Bull”) and the decidedly more awkward Yoli (Justina Adorno, “Seven Seconds”).
Hotel manager Mateo (Shalim Ortiz, “Heroes”) bridges the gap between theaffluent“upstairs”charactersand thestaffmembers.Whileheservesas Santiago’s right-hand man, he also secretly works for the hotel’s creditors.
Helen Parker (Wendy Raquel Robinson, “TheSteveHarveyShow”),knownas “Mrs.P”tohercolleagues,isthehotel’s no-nonsense head of staff.
As for the “downstairs” crew, the dutiful hotel staff is portrayed by a diverse group of up-and-coming actors. Mrs. P’s son, Jason (Chris Warren, “High School Musical,” 2006), works at the hotel as a waiter. He befriends Riviera newbie Danny (Lincoln Younes, “Home andAway”).WhatJasondoesn’t
know is that Danny has been secretly investigating the disappearance of his sister, Sky (Arielle Kebbel, “The Vampire Diaries”),oneofthehotel’slinecooks who went missing after a heated run-in with Gigi. Meanwhile, pregnant hotel housekeeper Ingrid (Anne Winters, “13 Reasons Why”) lies about her unborn child’s paternity.
The show also boasts an impressive roster of recurring actors, including Jencarlos Canela (“Telenovela”) as rap- perElRey,AdrianPasdar(“Heroes”)as Felix,KateySagal(“SonsofAnarchy”) as Teresa, and Freddie Stroma (“Time After Time”) as Oliver.
In true prime-time soap opera style, “GrandHotel”featuresplentyof romance,notablyaforbiddendalli- ance between Danny and Alicia, which blossoms despite Mrs. P’s warnings to Danny that the hotel owner’s family members are off limits. Meanwhile, an affair between El Rey and another char- acter causes friction in the Mendoza family, and a scandal threatens to derail an employee’s career.
Critical response to the series has been mixed so far. In a June review, Variety’s Caroline Framke called “Grand
Hotel” an “easy, breezy summer watch.”Earlyratingsreportshavebeen modestforasummerseries.Thefirst two episodes of the show’s inaugural season pulled in more than three million live viewers per night, though those numbers are expected to rise when DVR viewers are taken into account.
For fans of soap operas like “Dynas- ty” and Longoria’s former prime-time hit “Desperate Housewives,” her new series may be worth a look. Check out a new episode of “Grand Hotel,” airing Monday, July 22, on ABC.