After a two-year absence from television after That 70s Show ended in 2006, Wilmer Valderrama is set to return to Fox. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Valderrama is starring in a pilot called The Emancipation of Ernesto. Ernesto is a one-hour comedy that follows the titular character as he leaves his life working in a Twinkie factory in Mexico to find his father and a long-lost love. Having grown up in a Mexican prison, Ernesto is nevertheless an innocent, whose quest sends him to the high-speed, glamorous world of Los Angeles.
Ernesto is said to be in the style of the Steve Martin movie The Jerk, while the character himself has a little Forrest Gump running through him. While one-hour comedies such as Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives have been popular in the last couple of years, The Emancipation of Ernesto is the first one Fox has had on its schedule since Ally McBeal.
I’ve got to say that when I saw the words “Wilmer Valderrama” and “pilot,” I wasn’t exactly filled to the brim with anticipation. But reading about the plot, it actually sounds like it could be kind of interesting. I love The Jerk, so if it is actually anything like that, then The Emancipation of Ernesto has a lot going for it already, as far as I’m concerned. I’m not ready to say this is going to be the greatest thing ever, but if it gets turned into a series, I’ll definitely be checking it out this fall.
