WELCOME (BACK) TO FANTASY ISLAND

TV’s classic what-if series returns with more magical adventures, memorable guest stars and a marvelous new host, Ms. Roarke

- DAMIAN HOLBROOK

GET READY FOR warm breezes, wild tales of wish-fulfillment, and gentle waves of nostalgia, folks. Thirty-seven years after the late, great Ricardo Montalbán greeted his final guests as Mr. Roarke on ABC’s tropical anthology Fantasy Island, Fox is taking us back to the beach for a continuation of the 1978–84 hit. And now, the mythical hot spot’s host is Roarke’s fiercely fabulous grand-niece, Elena (Grand Hotel’s Roselyn Sanchez). “Sequel is a good way to put it,” says Elizabeth Craft, who executive produces with Sarah Fain. “It’s definitely a contemporary version of Fantasy Island with a distinctly female point of view.”

And de plain truth is, it’s about time. “That part is so right and so needed nowadays,” agrees the perfectly cast Sanchez, who says she hopes to make Ms. Roarke “as relatable as possible” by bringing humor and heart to the gig that Montalbán infused with regal mystery. “My idea is for [viewers], at the end of the day, to want to hug her.” Still, she’s fully aware of the power of the white suit she’s stepping into and immensely grateful to be playing a blood relative to one of TV’s most iconic Latinx characters. “It’s a big legacy and a big responsibility. But I’m doing it with respect and so much love,” she says. “I’m working my ass off! I want to make everybody proud, especially Ricardo Montalbán.”