William Levy's "La Tempestad" will replace the telenovela "Amores Verdaderos" on Univision's primetime slate.
The series will air at 9 pm in the US in July replacing the highly popular Erika Buenfil and Eduardo Yanez series. Univision also announced that the series will also premiere in Puerto Rico and Peru in July. Argentina will also import the telenovela at the end of the year.
Univision recently started airing commercials to promote the telenovela. The spot shows Levy on a ship and co-star Ximena Navarrete walking around the city. It also showcases action sequences and many scenes of the two protagonists kissing under the rain.
"La Tempestad" suffered low ratings when it premiered in Mexico. The series received mixed reviews due to Levy and Navarrete's chemistry. However it was not the first time the novela hit headlines. Ever since the Mexican production began filming in March it underwent massive criticism. Levy and Navarrete were criticized for taking 16 hours during kissing scenes and were asked to take acting classes. The production team also criticized Levy for his hard-to-understand Cuban accent. The producers stated that Levy's Spanish was barely comprehensible and a complete headache.
Levy was also criticized for his hairdo; the actor later stated that his character would get a new look. The production was also forced to add Arturo Peniche and Mariana Seoanne to the cast to boost ratings. Producer Salvador Mejia also attempted to gain audience by contracting Christina Aguilera and Alejandro Fernandez to sing the theme song.
"La Tempestad" is based on the popular Colombian series "La Tormenta" which starred Natalia Streignard and Christian Meier. The series also stars, Ivan, Laura Carmine, Jessica Coch, Diana Bracho, Cesar Evora, Alfonso Herrera and Luis Manuel Avila.