Salma Hayek reveals Max Mexican drama Like Water for Chocolate to get S2
Salma Hayek on stage with Mariano César
Max has renewed its HBO original Mexican series Like Water for Chocolate for a second and final season, according to exec producer Salma Hayek.
The news came during a Max showcase presentation in London hosted by Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, where Hayek made a surprise appearance to discuss the series with Mariano César, senior VP of general entertainment content and programming strategy for Latin America and US Hispanic at Warner Bros Discovery (WBD).
Like Water for Chocolate is a six-episode adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s 1989 bestselling novel, which tells a magical realist love story set in revolutionary Mexico at the turn of the 20th century.
The renewal comes ahead of the first season’s finale, which will air on Max on December 8.
Speaking to C21’s sister publication Cveintiuno at the event, César revealed the team had already begun developing S2 due to their pride in the series’ artistic achievements, but audience data ultimately sealed the decision.
“The response has been incredible. We’re on the fifth episode and it remains at the top of all content. In Latin America, it’s the most-watched content every day, but it’s also performing amazingly in the US and Europe,” César said.
In fact, Like Water for Chocolate has become the most-watched Latin American production on Max globally since the platform’s launch, according to the executive.
Despite these figures, Bloys emphasised that international success should not be a primary goal for local commissioners, noting that while Like Water for Chocolate is a successful IP, it remains a local property. “At a global scale, it’s not The Penguin or Dune,” he said.
“I don’t want our local programmers to think they have to make international shows,” Bloys added. “They should be programming specifically for their markets and not worrying about whether their content will travel internationally. The only show that will travel is a good show. And the best way to make a good show is to ensure it’s specific to your market.”
Hayek, who is credited as the first Mexican actress to win a best actress Oscar for her role in Frida, described the Like Water for Chocolate IP as “a little Latin American gem” with “all the flavours of Jane Austen but much spicier.”
“In a way, we cheated because we’re building on a book that traveled around the world and a film that was the first Mexican movie to achieve international success, so yes, we cheated a little,” joked Hayek on stage.
César and Hayek stressed they were not trying for a remake but to tell a story that feels contemporary, confirming there will be no third season.
“We didn’t take liberties with the plot of the novel but enriched it with character design and how they resonate with the present, giving a different depth to the female roles thanks to the time afforded by a series. But the story we’re telling is Laura Esquivel’s, and we won’t expand it beyond what happens in the books,” César explained to Cveintiuno.
When asked why the series resonates globally, Hayek said it “remains a story about women wanting to take control of their destinies” while also recovering “traditions and rituals we’ve stopped practising. While some should be eradicated, we shouldn’t lose all of them.”
S2 will again be produced by Ventanarosa Productions, Endemol Shine North America and Endemol Shine Boomdog, with Jerry Rodríguez continuing as showrunner.
The executive producers are Hayek, José Tamez and Siobhan Flynn for Ventanarosa; Sharon Levy, Lisa Fahrenholt and Flavio Morales for Endemol Shine North America; Alejandro Rincón, Clara Machado and Jerry Rodríguez for Endemol Shine Boomdog; and Mariano César, Vanessa Miranda and Anouk Aarón for WBD.
