Speaking about the decision, a spokesperson for HBO Max told Deadline: “Live-action, kids and family programming will not be part of our programming focus in the immediate future, and as a result, we’ve had to make the very difficult decision to end Gordita Chronicles at HBO Max.
They continued: "The series earned critical acclaim and a loyal following, and we are proud to have worked with creator Claudia Forestieri and our two powerhouse executive producers, Eva Longoria [...] and Zoe Saldaña, to bring Cucu’s journey to the screen. We thank them and the talented cast and crew for creating such a heartfelt, groundbreaking show that connected deeply with a very important demographic."
I don't imagine kid/family-friendly live action shows will be profitable anymore unless they can make merchandising work.
Animation is the name of the game for the demographic, and theoretically, they have IPs with history at their disposal.
Live-action for kids is tricky, but often it is cheaper than animation. For very young kids, things like Bananas In Pajamas or Blue's Clues work just fine, but for gradeschoolers, they want programming that either: 1: Is relatable (and that makes filming a chore, since child actors are costly and time-limited) or 2: Is a hero figure (and hollywood has a devout hatred of positive classical role models). Ideally both, which is why anime gets such a strong audience, fellow kids who are heroes is the staple of the shounen genre.
But those are still possible live-action, especially the more sitcom-style ones. The real problem is those actors age, and so a franchise is really limited to maybe 2-3 seasons at most, when they want a 10-year cash cow.
I don't imagine kid/family-friendly live action shows will be profitable anymore unless they can make merchandising work.
Animation is the name of the game for the demographic, and theoretically, they have IPs with history at their disposal.
Live-action for kids is tricky, but often it is cheaper than animation. For very young kids, things like Bananas In Pajamas or Blue's Clues work just fine, but for gradeschoolers, they want programming that either: 1: Is relatable (and that makes filming a chore, since child actors are costly and time-limited) or 2: Is a hero figure (and hollywood has a devout hatred of positive classical role models). Ideally both, which is why anime gets such a strong audience, fellow kids who are heroes is the staple of the shounen genre.
But those are still possible live-action, especially the more sitcom-style ones. The real problem is those actors age, and so a franchise is really limited to maybe 2-3 seasons at most, when they want a 10-year cash cow.