Ready for a new drama filled with luxury, scandal, and secrets? Well ABC is here to deliver with their new series Grand Hotel, which follows the glamorous, but soon to be not-so, life of a family who own and run a hotel in Miami Beach.
Eva Longoria executive produces this bold, provocative drama set at the last family-owned hotel in multicultural Miami Beach. Charismatic Santiago Mendoza owns the hotel, while his glamorous second wife, Gigi, and their adult children enjoy the spoils of success. The hotel’s loyal staff round out a contemporary fresh take on an upstairs/downstairs story. Wealthy and beautiful guests bask in luxury, but scandals, escalating debt and explosive secrets hide beneath the picture-perfect exterior. The show is based on the Spanish series.
At the TCA’s in February, Longoria told the press that nine of the 11 main cast members are people of colour, while half of the writing team and 7 out of 12 directors are female. We’ll also see Longoria step in front of the camera as she asked writer Brian Tanen to create something for her, which ended up being Mendoza’s now deceased first wife and mother to his children.
“I was directing the show while I was breastfeeding. I was crazy,” she said. “The first time you see me I’m about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) heavier than the last time you see me because five months had passed.”
The series stars Demián Bichir (The Hateful Eight) as Santiago Mendoza, Roselyn Sánchez (Devious Maids) as Gigi Mendoza, Denyse Tontz (The Fosters) as Alicia Mendoza, Bryan Craig (General Hospital) as Javi Mendoza, Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game) as Mrs. P, Lincoln Younes (Home and Away) as Danny, Shalim Ortiz (Heroes) as Mateo, Anne Winters (13 Reasons Why) as Ingrid, Chris Warren (High School Musical) as Jason, Feliz Ramirez as Carolina, and Justina Adorno (Seven Seconds) as Yoli.
Grand Hotel premieres June 17th on ABC.
