Telemundo Upfronts: Wilmer Valderrama Lands YA Crime Drama, Lawrence Bender Developing Docuseries

Telemundo Upfronts: Wilmer Valderrama Lands YA Crime Drama, Lawrence Bender Developing Docuseries

NBCUniversal’s Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo has ordered a slew of new scripted and unscripted series for both its linear network and TPlus brand on Peacock.


The company unveiled its 2022/23 line-up ahead of its Upfront event on Monday.


These include new projects from Wilmer Valderrama and Lawrence Bender.


On TPlus, the company’s block on Peacock, NCIS star Valderrama is exec producing Keep This To Yourself, an adaptation of Tom Ryan’s YA thriller. The series, written by Ryan and Mark Kruger, takes place the year after the notorious Catalog Killer murdered four victims before disappearing. Like everyone else left in the murderous wake, a teen tries desperately to leave that horrible summer in the past, which is easier said than done since his best friend was the murderer’s final victim. Yet, when a cryptic message turns up one day, the search for the killer reignites ―and may not be for a random drifter after all. In Keep This to Yourself, no one, ― not friends, neighbors, or even the sexy stranger with a connection to the case, ― is beyond suspicion.

Carla Gugino, Ana De La Reguera and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are starring in Leopard Skin, a crime thriller series from AGC Television from Sebastián Gutiérrez. Set up to fail by crooked Judge Lasalle (Dean Morgan), a criminal gang desperately seeks shelter following a botched diamond heist. Bursting onto the remote paradise of Playa Perdida, Mexico, the gang lands at a glamorous beachside estate run by two intriguingly complex women, Alba (Gugino) and Batty (Gaite Jansen). Humorous and darker complications arise that awkward first night when they are joined by two dinner guests, documentary producer Max (Philip Winchester), his flighty girlfriend Maru (Amelia Eve), and the estate’s former housekeeper, Inocencia (Ana De La Reguera).  Yet, when the group is taken hostage, a gallery of murderous secrets, coldhearted betrayals, and shocking desires bubble over, dictating their ultimate fates.


Propagate Fuego is making soccer series 90 Minutes (w/t), which follows former soccer player Benito “El Veneno” Montoya, who must rescue Las Navajas de Ecatepec, the local team where he began his career. Upon learning that Yuriel Santana, the richest man in Ecatepec and a famous criminal, intends to destroy the local sports club to turn it into a massive casino, “El Veneno” will have to transform his childhood friends from a group of perfect losers to a real team. Created by Joe Rendon and Julio Berthely, it is exec produced by Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Rodney Ferrell, and Isabel San Vargas.

On the development side, TPlus has partnered with Pulp Fiction producer Lawrence Bender and Jupiter Entertainment on Chicano Squad (w/t), a docuseries that exposes the truth behind the lives and actions of an extraordinary group of young, Latino police officers in Texas.


90-Day Fiancé producer Sharp Entertainment is developing Love Is Relative, a relationship series that looks at singles trying to find love while also seeking their family’s approval, and All3Media’s Bright Spot Content is developing Viva Houston, a reality series that tracks the lives of a group of powerful Latina business moguls and best friends.


Meanwhile, Telemundo has unveiled the third season of La Reina Del Sure (The Queen of the South), an eighth season of El Señor de los Cielos (The Lord of the Skies), an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s story El Conde (The Count) from Mexican actor Fernando Colunga, Jaime Camil-fronted El Rey: Vicente Fernández, María: La Mexicana from Rebeca Solano, Culpable o Inocente (Guilty or Innocent), anthology series El Doctor de los Milagros (The Miracle Doctor) and La Mujer de Mi Vida (The Woman of My Life) starring Iván Sánchez, Angelica Celaya, Mauricio Islas, and Catherine Siachoque


“Latinos are transforming every aspect of our country – our society, our economy, and our culture. We are thrilled to introduce a powerful content slate this coming season to engage this fast-growing audience across broadcast and streaming platforms, featuring big tentpoles, big talent, an even bigger presence on Peacock with Tplus, and the world’s biggest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup,” said Beau Ferrari, Chairman NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. “As we increase our investments in premium entertainment, news and sports content, we are truly maximizing the power of NBCUniversal’s TV and Streaming portfolio to help marketers reach the largest number of Latinos in the industry, at scale and in both languages, like no other media company.”