Eva Longoria to portray diva TV star in NBC series

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Published on January 16, 2015 05:27PM EST

NBC has given a 13-episode order to a single-camera comedy starring Desperate Housewives alum Eva Longoria, the network announced during the Television Critics Association’s winter TV previews.

In Telenovela, Longoria will play the willful, popular diva Ana Maria, the star of Latin America’s most beloved telenovela, who strives to stay on top in a world where the drama on-camera is nothing compared to the drama off-camera.

“There are few actresses with as much international appeal as Eva Longoria,” said NBC President Jennifer Salke. “She is a perfect fit for Telenovela. Her character will try to navigate the hysteria and high jinks that everyone must endure in putting together a daily show.”

After her days on Wisteria Lane, Longoria starred on the short-lived NBC comedy Welcome to the Family and had an arc as a love interest for Andy Samberg on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

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