Sabado Gigante, The longest-running variety show in the history of TV, and the man behind it will be explored in a four-part limited docuseries that will stream on Hulu in the United States.
The series, ordered by Disney’s Onyx Collective, is called Gigante. It will tell the story of Univision’s Spanish-language TV show Sabado Gigante and its larger-than-life host and Emmy Award winner Don Francisco. The series will be directed by Alex Fumero and Kareem Tabsch, the duo behind the 2020 feature documentary Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado.
“I’m at a time in my life where it is more interesting looking backward,” Don Francisco told Deadline. “Where I have the full perspective of not only my 60 years as a professional but also where I’m able to fully analyze Don Francisco and Sabado Gigante’s record-breaking run and what it meant to so many people. I’m beyond happy to have the opportunity to tell the story with this amazing team and thankful to Onyx for helping us bring our show to a brand new audience.”
To make the docuseries, Fumero and Tabsch will dive deep into 53 years’ worth of Sabado Gigante archives. Jihan Robinson, vice president of nonfiction at Onyx and Freeform, said the word “enthusiastic” is an understatement to describe how he feels about the upcoming project.
“Don Francisco and this series played such a huge role in the lives of the Latinx community and have left a lasting impact on this country,” Robinson told Deadline. “We are thrilled it has found a home with Onyx and to continue the Sabado Gigante legacy.”