Cristela

Cristela Alonzo stars as a woman laughing her way to the new American dream, in a family comedy loosely based on her life and stand-up routine.

Daniela signs up a reluctant Cristela for an online dating site but when her ad starts getting attention, Cristela agrees to go out on a blind date with one of her suitors. Her date ends up being someone Cristela least expects. Will Cristela stray from her “life plan” to give love a chance?

After Daniela’s friend mistakes Cristela for the nanny, tensions flare between the two sisters and surprisingly it is Felix who brings them back together. Meanwhile, Alberto tries to get closer to Cristela in an unexpected way.

It's Halloween and Cristela is eager to show Trent her “party-whispering” skills to make this year's party a success. After failing to convince Josh, Cristela gets Maddie to join her in dressing up as Hall & Oates. Meanwhile at home, Natalia’s dislike for Halloween has her celebrating the Day of the Dead instead and, ironically, her stories of deceased relatives makes her the most popular Halloween attraction in the neighborhood.

Looking to enhance his chance for a promotion, Josh wants to get closer to Trent by learning more about sports. So when Mark Cuban (guest starring as a client of Trent's) comes to the office, Josh drops the ball in thinking he's there to fix the fridge. So Josh asks Cristela for help in teaching him the basics about sports, especially in Dallas where it goes God, family and the Cowboys... but not in that order in the 4th Quarter.

Cristela is frustrated when Trent asks her to work on a case that supports unequal pay for women in the workplace. Meanwhile, Cristela finds some satisfaction when she learns that Daniela has been making more money than Felix for years…which she has kept as a secret…and Cristela is thus drawn into an emotional argument at home.

Cristela, wanting to expose the kids to more cultural opportunities, tries to convince Felix to let Henry see “West Side Story.” But in doing that, Felix worries that his son’s interests will be changing and they won’t have as much in common as he gets older.

Trent wants the floor of his office redone and assumes Cristela knows someone in the flooring business, so she puts Felix & Alberto on the job. Even though the guys do a great job and bond with Trent, they treat Cristela like their put-upon little sister…like they do at home, so Cristela wants to find a way to get rid of them…fast. Meanwhile, Daniela teaches Natalia how to use the internet.

It's Christmas time and Cristela is looking forward to the tradition of making tamales with her mom and sister, while the men pretend to do housework. Among those men this year is Cristela's brother Eddie, returning from a job out of state. But when Josh mistakes a joke for an earnest invitation, he ends up crashing the family tamale party. Meanwhile, Trent and Maddie get some much needed father-daughter time at home, where they bond over their shared inability to prepare even the most basic of Christmas feasts.

Trent and his wife (guest star Roseanne Barr as "Veronica”) are going through some marital problems and look to soon be separating. Veronica takes an immediate liking to Cristela and offers her a job at her law firm, which specializes in cases that entice Cristela but will she be able to abandon her loyalties to Trent? Meanwhile, Henry and Isabella have opposing views on how best to sell chocolate bars for a school fundraiser and seek help from Felix, Daniela & Alberto.

It’s a case of the blame game when Isabella finds herself in a bit of trouble at school after being called out for being a bully. Cristela tries to figure out which family member taught Izzy this learned behavior as Daniela, Natalia, Felix and Alberto all have traits that might have influenced Izzy. It’s not until Cristela and Josh have a squabble at work over misinterpreting one another’s text messages that Maddie points out that even Cristela might have a few bully-like qualities of her own.

Daniela is worried that Cristela is neglecting her health due to her beyond-busy schedule. Daniela suggests that maybe if Cristela lost a few pounds, she could find herself a husband and ultimately mirror the life Daniela lives now. Cristela retorts by saying she doesn’t want Daniela’s life or her looks, she’s happy with who she is and being career focused. The tables are turned when Daniela coaxes Cristela down to a free clinic to test their blood pressure and it’s revealed Daniela is the one who should be concerned. Meanwhile at the office, Josh tries to impress Trent by volunteering to learn CPR and Maddie decides to teach him a lesson he won’t forget

Cristela is thrilled to be filling in as Trent’s assistant for the week since it comes along with pay. But Josh points out the road to a successful lawyer might not be best met by taking the secretary route. Meanwhile back at home, Daniela and Cristela learn of a missed call from Natalia’s Doctor and immediately fear the worst which prompts them to come up with a “Bucket List” for Natalia, feeling bad she hasn’t been able to experience much of what life has to offer.

Trent and Veronica are headed for a divorce, but it’s revealed a prenup was never signed and the thought of giving Veronica half of his fortune makes Trent wince with pain. Knowing Cristela and Veronica have grown close, Trent asks for Cristela’s help in trying to get Veronica to sign a prenup. Veronica says she doesn’t want the divorce. When Cristela takes this back to Trent, he says the same thing -- thus Cristela begins playing marriage counselor. Meanwhile, Daniela becomes upset with Felix after she finds out the story he told her about dumping his ex-girlfirend for her was a lie.

Cristela is tutoring and rooting for Isabella to get into the “Gifted and Talented” school program, partly because Cristela did not get in as a child. When Isabella throws the exam because she’s afraid of hurting her brother’s feelings, tensions mount between Cristela and Natalia over the program and Natalia reveals a hurtful secret. Meanwhile at the office, after Maddie gets into another car accident, Trent decides to punish Maddie by sending her to the mail room which provides a bit of a challenge for Maddie to grasp.

Cristela’s loyalties to both home and work are tested when she promises to be Henry’s sponsor for his confirmation ceremony and Trent asks her to be by his side at a fundraising event. Then after Maddie posts a video online and Trent is seen in the background making what are perceived as racist comments, he holds a press conference in an attempt to clear his name.

When Juanita Canales invites the family to her granddaughter's quinceañera, Natalia wants to show off and use different aspects of the family to impress everybody. This culminates in her pushing Cristela to bring Josh from work as her date, and Cristela has the first dance she never had when she turned fifteen.

Trent picks Cristela to sit at his table for the trial of a landlord accused of not renting to minorities. But his reason for doing so – to show a minority on the landlord's side – backfires on him, and Cristela must decide whether to use an advantage she did not earn through hard work. Meanwhile, as Alberto starts bonding with Natalia, Daniela becomes suspicious that perhaps he’s “using Ama to get in good with Cristela.”

When tasked by Trent to motivate Maddie’s work ethic, Cristela has to think fast to come up with creative ways to convince Maddie to get through their shared workload. Meanwhile back at home, Daniela is on a work trip as Felix finds himself taking care of the kids alone.

Tim Allen, who stars as Mike Baxter on the hit series “Last Man Standing,” guest stars in a crossover: Mike seeks legal help when he wants to expand his Outdoor Man Store’s gun range in Dallas. But Trent already greased every palm in town to build the original, so Cristela is tasked with gaining the favor of the zoning commissioner. This puts her in an awkward position since she isn’t fond of guns (unless playing “Call of Duty” counts). The upside? -- she gets to work with Ben Buckner, a handsome associate who may be just her type.

Cristela, Josh & Maddie are hours away from taking the bar exam and everyone is handling the stress a little differently. Cristela is feeling confident about the test, until Daniela loses her job. It’s a family crisis when Natalia goes into “Village Mode” -- which is similar to survival mode, demanding that Cristela put off the test and get a job at the local hair salon. Will Cristela pass up the opportunity to advance her own career just to help put her family at ease?

Cristela, Maddie and Josh eagerly await the results of the bar exam. Much to everyone’s surprise, Maddie passes while Josh does not. Cristela also passes the exam and Trent offers her an attorney position at his law firm that comes along with an added perk of hiring an assistant. Faced with moving back in with his parents, Josh eagerly accepts the assistant gig. An ecstatic Cristela returns home to celebrate, but is lovingly confronted by Daniela who wants Cristela to move out and start living the life of a single girl, the life she deserves.

Catch a sneak peek at Cristela (Cristela Alonzo), who wants to be a lawyer (hence being in law school for six years). Think how much she’s learning! With money woes, cultural challenges and a family torn between encouraging her and not wanting her to become a big shot, Cristela has plenty to deal with in this hilarious new series airing on ABC Fridays at 8:30/7:30 Central beginning October 10th!