I’m not Dominican, but from an immigrant family and being a chubby child, I can totally relate to Olivia Goncalves‘ Cucu “Gordita” Castelli in the new HBO Max comedy Gordita Chronicles. 

I was living for that scene where she just tossed that football aside after that white boy called her fatso. Also when zaddy said, “For a country that calls itself the land of the free, this place sure is expensive!”, it was instant relatable content.

Executive produced by Claudia Forestieri, who also wrote the pilot, Gordita Chronicles takes place during a very formative era of the ’80s. The titular young character has just said goodbye to all of her friends and family in Santo Domingo and moved to Miami with her marketing executive father Víctor (Juan Javier Cardenas), bold and vivacious mother Adela (Diana Maria Riva), and status-obsessed older sister Emilia (Savannah Nicole Ruiz). While life in America is far from what they imagined, the Castellis are determined to take charge of their strange new world. Gordita Chronicles is about family, opportunity, love, resilience, and boldly defying the status quo in pursuit of the “American Dream.”

The series, which will debut all 10 episodes on June 23 also stars Noah Rico, Cosette Hauer, and Dascha Polanco. Patrick Fabian and Loni Love guest star.

Eva Longoria directed the pilot and serves as executive producer for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. Zoe Saldana, Mariel Saldana, and Cisely Saldana are executive producers for Cinestar Pictures. Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva, CSI) executive produces alongside Jennifer Robinson and Chris King of Osprey Productions. Showrunner Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz executive produces for Bons Mots Emporium.