Telenovela is not bad, per se, just bland, despite the game effort and welcome presence of Longoria. And in this current TV environment, you can’t be bland.

NBC has landed Eva Longoria for next season, giving a 13-episode order to her NBC single-camera comedy Telenovela, which will mark Longoria's first series starring role since Desperate Housewives.

Telenovelas are staples of Spanish-language TV. Telemundo was always in second place behind Univision — that is until executives figured out the way to success: telenovelas starring anti-heroes.