Deadline is reporting that ABC, best known for its Shonda Rhimes-centric show has picked up a pilot for an American remake of the popular Spanish drama Grand Hotel to be executive produced by Mexican-American actress-producer Eva Longoria.
The original Gran Hotel ran for three seasons with high ratings. Often described as a “Spanish Downton Abbey,” the show was set in 1905 and followed the inhabitants of a successful resort hotel. Since going off the air in 2014, love for the series hasn’t dissipated if social media is anything to go off of. People are still discovering the series today.
Not much is known about Longoria’s take, short of it following the basic layout of the original, though the location will be moved. It’s described as a “soapy drama set against the backdrop of a Miami Beach hotel, centering around the family who owns the business, the staff who run it, and the explosive secrets they hide.” This isn’t the first time Grand Hotel has been remade. Mexican TV network Televisa adapted it into a novela for their home market.
It’s important to note that a pilot pickup doesn’t automatically mean it’s greenlit for a full series. After the pilot is made ABC will then be able to decide whether it is something they’d like to continue. Longoria has had past success with her novela-inspired productions for ABC in the past. Her series Devious Maids aired for four seasons on the network. The love for the original series could be a double-edged sword, with comparisons to the original being beneficial or detrimental. Regardless, ABC lacks the prestige television of other networks and could benefit from a melodrama like this.