Telemundo Studios is gearing up for a busy year in original production and new development. Pons also highlighted that another returning franchise is Sin Senos Hay Paraíso, and the upcoming premiere of Lobo, morir matando, an original production arriving with high expectations.
Produced by Luis Cabrera and Ana Paula Carreira, from Miami
Telemundo Studios announced that El Señor de los Cielos will return in 2026 with a tenth season, aiming to honor the fandom of the longest-running Spanish-language series in the market. Production will begin in two months, and it stands as the main highlight from NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises as the company prepares for a year packed with original productions and a strong focus on IP development.
This was shared by Javier Pons, CCO of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and Head of Telemundo Studios, in an interview with ttvnews. “We’re doubling down on moving forward. Original IP is the foundation of our growth. The big news for 2026 is the return of El Señor de los Cielos. We’re bringing Rafa Amaya back, returning to the Telemundo screen after a two-year break,” he said.
The executive recalled that the franchise had a spin-off, which served as a kind of transition period, and now Amaya returns as an executive producer. “It’s a way to honor that huge fandom. We have to remember that El Señor de los Cielos is currently the longest-running Spanish-language series in the market. We’ll start production in a couple of months.”
Telemundo Studios is preparing for a busy year in original production and new developments. Pons noted that another returning franchise is Sin Senos Hay Paraíso. “It’s a co-production with Disney that we’re doing with our partners at TIS in Colombia. We have the original cast, and we’ll see if the audience’s wish for Catalina Santana and El Titi to finally reunite comes true.”
Lobo among the key premieres
In three to four weeks, the company will premiere Lobo, morir matando, an original production. “We’re very happy with this project. It’s the next one to premiere, and it’s still shooting, with the final weeks in Mexico. It’s an adaptation of a novel by a hugely successful Mexican author. It stars a wonderful young girl who’s going to captivate the audience,” Pons said.
It’s the story of a lone wolf who becomes the leader of the pack, the story of a solitary person disillusioned with love. It’s a fast-paced story in which a young girl hides a secret. “It’s 80 episodes that we’ll air in primetime starting in February. We hope it’s equally successful on both Telemundo and Peacock, which will be the first release windows,” Pons added.
Productions in the pipeline
Pons said they are also shooting a medical drama this year, filmed at Telemundo facilities as an original production. “It will be a drama set in a hospital emergency room in the United States, but in an area with a strong Hispanic presence. We want to address not only medical issues, but above all the lives of young doctors.”
“We’re developing a legal drama for 2027–28, and there are more projects on the way. Conspiração Filmes announced yesterday our partnership to adapt one of their very successful Brazilian series. In Brazil it was called Uno contra todos, and we’re developing an adaptation,” he noted.
Telemundo at the movies
The executive mentioned that their first experience was Las Tías, which aired on Halloween on Telemundo with great success. “That was really the first original movie we produced in-house. This year we’ve expanded a bit, entering into a co-production with Cinépolis and Mediapro.”
He also announced Atrápelo quien pueda, a film starring Jaime Camil, which will be released in theaters and on Telemundo. “And we expect it to travel well, because it’s a great romantic comedy, with Jaime delivering a wonderful performance, along with the rest of the cast. It’s an example of the kind of bets Telemundo Studios is making. The film is currently in post-production and will hit theaters in about two or three months,” Pons explained.
Mi Vida Ideal is also an original film that will be shot at Telemundo Center studios in Miami. “It’s a holiday season film, a Christmas, feel-good movie. It will be for the Telemundo screen and platforms. It’s confirmed, and we have a couple more that we’re negotiating to shoot this year and early next year.”
Microdramas and new trends
The executive spoke about productions with VIP 2000. “At the end of the year, we produced four short miniseries, short-form dramas with biblical themes, which I believe are universal. In the end, they’re love stories, based on love stories from the Bible. I think it’s a format we need to be in because of our background and our DNA. We created this type of content that other microdrama platforms are now booming with, and we needed to be there,” he said.
For Pons, attracting new audiences is a priority. “I think mobile platforms give us the opportunity to reach younger audiences who will connect with our products and projects. It’s about responding to a market need and reality.”
They are also presenting a documentary special called Giant Awareness: The Awakening of a Giant, which tells the story of the growth of soccer in the United States and specifically the evolution of the national team. It is currently in production and will premiere ahead of the World Cup.
Multiformat growth and partnerships
“There’s growth across multiple formats: microdramas, films, documentaries, and we can’t forget our unit in Argentina, Underground. Netflix will premiere the second season of En el Barro in February. We launched the first season last August, and it was top 10 globally for several weeks, not just in Argentina. We’re also premiering Amor Animal with Amazon, a young adult thriller. And soon we’ll be able to announce another release on Disney, which we’re very excited about and which will generate a lot of buzz,” Pons highlighted.
New hires and reality development
Finally, Pons spoke about the addition of Adrián Santucho to the team. “He brings a strong background and experience, both from working at a network and especially as an independent producer in different territories. He’s going to bring a lot of freshness and strengthen the reality, primetime, and specials teams, which until now have been led by Cisco Suárez, whom I want to acknowledge. He retired on December 31.”
“We’re going to launch two new reality shows. To start with, Operación Triunfo is a hugely successful music talent format. It was produced in Argentina, it was a hit in Spain for 24 years, and we’re bringing music back to the screen. That’s also important for us in terms of attracting new audiences,” he concluded.
