A limited-edition docuseries called Gigante, produced by Disney’s Onyx Collective, will examine Sabado Gigante’s political and cultural repercussions. The television host Don Francisco, better known as Mario Kreutzberger, will be interviewed for Gigante along with never-before-seen material from his private archives. There should be a total of four parts to the series.
The longest-running variety programme in history is Sabado Gigante. The Chilean variety programme offered viewers a wide range of live performances, contests, and human interest tales. As it aired on the Spanish International Network, it helped to close the gap between English- and Spanish-speaking nations and united immigrants from Latin America in their quest to establish themselves in the United States. Every Saturday, the three-hour show aired with very little pre-recording and no repeats. The programme ended in 2015 after 53 years with a live broadcast of the final episode in Chile, Mexico, and the US.
Sabado Gigante was written and directed by Kreutzberger, a native of Chile. As he toured the globe for the show, he used his wit and humour to bridge cultural divides. Over the years, his work has garnered him numerous honours, including an Emmy Award and Pope Juan Pablo II’s Papal Benemerenti Medal.
Regarding his participation in the documentary series, Kreutzberger said:
At this point in my life, looking back is more interesting. Where I can thoroughly assess Don Francisco and “Sabado Gigante’s” record-breaking run and what it meant to so many people, as well as my 60 years of professional experience. I’m so grateful to Onyx for helping us introduce our show to a brand-new audience and overjoyed to have the chance to share the narrative with this incredible crew.
With the leadership of the team behind Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, Gigante will be made by Foton Pictures and Trojan Horse. It will only be available for streaming on Hulu in the US, Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ worldwide.
Together with Alex Fumero, who will serve as executive producer and showrunner from Trojan Horse, Kareem Tabsch will act as the project’s director and executive producer. Executive producers will also include Ilan Numhauser, Ari Taboada, and Carlos Enrique Cuscó from Foton Pictures.
Sabado Gigante’s impact and the series as a whole were summed up by Tabsch as follows:
Hispanics. Latinos. Latinx. Regardless of what you may call us or what we may call ourselves, very few people, including ourselves, are aware of who we are and where we originated from. ‘Sabado Gigante,’ one of the most adored programmes in the Spanish-speaking world and a mainstay in all of our homes, serves as the backdrop for ‘Gigante,’ the ultimate origin narrative of the Latino people. The series will describe how a Jewish immigrant from Chile who settled in Miami was able to influence how millions of other immigrants from all over the Western Hemisphere defined themselves, bringing us all closer together and forever altering the landscape of Latin America and the United States.
For those familiar with the show as well as those who are less familiar, this documentary will provide intriguing insight into the evolution of television. The importance of global entertainment cannot be overstated, thus Gigante is a must-see.
There isn’t a release date or window set yet for Gigante.
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