Christina Vidal Reveals Why Nickelodeon’s ‘Taina’ Was Canceled
It’s been nearly 20 years since Nickelodeon’s Taina went off the air but the show remains a classic in its own right. Though the show is not available on streaming platforms, fans can watch their favorite episodes and clips on YouTube. The show was canceled despite having high viewership and its star recently revealed why.
Reports initially alleged ‘Taina’ was canceled due to viewership and Christina Vidal’s behavior on set
Taina was a fan favorite amongst Nickelodeon viewers. Vidal starred as the lead character who attends a Manhattan performing arts high school with dreams of seeing her name in lights. The show is rounded out with some documentation of Taina’s home life, but mainly follows her at school with her friends.
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Nickelodeon canceled the series after just two seasons. Allegedly, the cancelation was due to the network’s observation that it only appealed to girls.
Actor Josh Cruze, who played Taina’s father on the show, claimed that increasing production costs also played a part in the series’ cancellation. The network apparently did not want to focus all of their funds on one show and ultimately decided to cancel Taina as a result.
Vidal told the LA Times in a recent interview that the show having a core female audience had nothing to do with the show’s cancellation. In fact, many shows at the time had higher female viewership.
Vidal also admits to being a semi problem child. “I was just partying, I was late at times – sometimes unprepared,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. “My attitude wasn’t great, I was exhausted and I was a kid trying to be responsible at work, but also being a teenager and going through normal teenager things.”
Christina Vidal says ‘Taina’ was canceled because she signed a recording contract
Aside from the television show, Vidal was also actively pursuing a singing career. She says she was never given a concrete reason from executives regarding why the show would be canceled. But she does believe it was due to her signing a recording contract while filming the show. Apparently, the network potentially saw it as a conflict of interest.
“They didn’t really say anything … just that they’d replace it with a show about Master P and his son, Vidal revealed to LA Times. “But I think it had something to do with me getting a record deal.”
Vidal also says the network appeared to be frustrated with her management team because they refused to allow their client to be overworked. “And, just not doing everything they wanted me to do. I wasn’t new to the business then — I was 20. I had a lawyer, I had people around me who knew my rights. This was a time when they had kids do a whole bunch of stuff without having any rights.”
Vidal signed with MCA Records and had huge plans that unfortunately did not come to fruition. But, it was not because they didn’t believe in her talent. “They wanted to make me a star. But a year later, the whole company got shut down and bought by some other company,” she explained. “The president of that company sat down with me and asked if I wanted to be the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. I was like, “So you want me to dress up in lingerie and sing these songs?” I wanted to be a solo artist, but they ultimately shelved my album.”
Vidal continued acting, with roles in movies like Freaky Friday alongside Lindsay Lohan – and guest roles on television shows like Girlfriends.
