After a series of lengthy negotiations, ABC has closed on a deal to order a put pilot to an untitled music driven family drama series inspired by the musical legacy of slain Tejano music star, Selena Quintanilla.
The series, which will not be autobiographical, focuses on Alex Guerra, a chart-topping, award-winning pop star who has been estranged from her family for five years. She tries to pick up the pieces when a crisis forces her to return home to Texas, juggling a love triangle, the demands of her career, and the dark secrets of the family that she now desperately wants to win back.
For those who aren’t aware, a put pilot is a pilot that the network has agreed to air either as a special or series. If the network does not air the pilot episode, the network will owe substantial monetary penalties to the studio. Generally, this guarantees that the pilot will be picked up by the network.
During her short life and career, Selena Quintanilla was one of the biggest Latino crossover stars of the 90’s. The singer-songwriter, model, actress and fashion designer was tragically killed in 1995 at the age of 23 by her former manager. Her posthumous crossover album Dreaming of You debuted atop the Billboard 200 later that year, which was a first for a Latin artist. A film about her life, Selena, was also released shortly after her death and became a critical and box office hit. The film also pushed its then-unknown star, Jennifer Lopez, into the mainstream.
