diff --git a/core/API/Request.php b/core/API/Request.php
index 8ec38f50aaca7d055404f98b7f544351c4503ba6..6ddb8333f504275037c5f534a44f49c67c1f03a6 100644
--- a/core/API/Request.php
+++ b/core/API/Request.php
@@ -388,6 +388,7 @@ class Request
     {
         $params = array();
         $params['format'] = 'original';
+        $params['serialize'] = '0';
         $params['module'] = 'API';
         $params['method'] = $method;
         $params = $paramOverride + $params;
diff --git a/plugins/CustomVariables/API.php b/plugins/CustomVariables/API.php
index c737ae3a93f70532d21e66272f1331a8eb8d69a9..69e6ee720c06be878898d269cfb3181527c8d602 100644
--- a/plugins/CustomVariables/API.php
+++ b/plugins/CustomVariables/API.php
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ class API extends \Piwik\Plugin\API
         $date = '2008-12-12,' . $today;
         $customVarUsages = Request::processRequest('CustomVariables.getCustomVariables',
             array('idSite' => $idSite, 'period' => 'range', 'date' => $date,
-                  'format' => 'original', 'serialize' => '0')
+                  'format' => 'original')
         );
 
         foreach ($customVarUsages->getRows() as $row) {
diff --git a/plugins/Goals/API.php b/plugins/Goals/API.php
index 80a898fe340aca5335f460308313f65bf4b06434..113bea5ec9250558aa3d6ab9f6a4c2a28e625870 100644
--- a/plugins/Goals/API.php
+++ b/plugins/Goals/API.php
@@ -365,7 +365,6 @@ class API extends \Piwik\Plugin\API
                 'date'    => $date,
                 'idGoal'  => $idGoal,
                 'columns' => $columns,
-                'serialize' => '0',
                 'format_metrics' => 'bc'
             ));
 
diff --git a/plugins/MultiSites/API.php b/plugins/MultiSites/API.php
index 60b9fab90af8859cf3c70734099b06ea1b96cd10..23ae8217381cbfc35f75f8c337385a5e20f697cf 100755
--- a/plugins/MultiSites/API.php
+++ b/plugins/MultiSites/API.php
@@ -147,7 +147,6 @@ class API extends \Piwik\Plugin\API
                       'limit'       => SettingsPiwik::getWebsitesCountToDisplay(),
                       'showColumns' => '',
                       'hideColumns' => '',
-                      'serialize'   => 0,
                       'format'      => 'original'));
 
             if (!empty($sites)) {
diff --git a/plugins/Overlay/Controller.php b/plugins/Overlay/Controller.php
index 2ed50641c52a64424b7564c2fc847cbc68533565..6327d34ddf9baeb1ef7d685a20ecd97a0348a4af 100644
--- a/plugins/Overlay/Controller.php
+++ b/plugins/Overlay/Controller.php
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ class Controller extends \Piwik\Plugin\Controller
             'label' => $label,
             'format' => 'original',
             'format_metrics' => 0,
-            'serialize' => '0'
         );
 
         if (!empty($segment)) {
diff --git a/plugins/VisitFrequency/API.php b/plugins/VisitFrequency/API.php
index a6f99714800f5e416ada5e6e288d3770595669a5..550212d9e37d0772424dd1de3074e15f358bbadb 100644
--- a/plugins/VisitFrequency/API.php
+++ b/plugins/VisitFrequency/API.php
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ class API extends \Piwik\Plugin\API
             'segment'   => $segment,
             'columns'   => implode(',', $columns),
             'format'    => 'original',
-            'serialize' => 0, // tests set this to 1
             'format_metrics' => 0
         );
 
diff --git a/tests/PHPUnit/Integration/ReportTest.php b/tests/PHPUnit/Integration/ReportTest.php
index 8e535be0f20f25bbf9a26554e5ae1248a0ea3d85..b71246d36c8626da9049743fa371491285e037e8 100644
--- a/tests/PHPUnit/Integration/ReportTest.php
+++ b/tests/PHPUnit/Integration/ReportTest.php
@@ -474,7 +474,8 @@ class ReportTest extends IntegrationTestCase
                 'format' => 'original',
                 'module' => 'API',
                 'method' => 'ExampleReport.getExampleReport',
-                'format_metrics' => 'bc'
+                'format_metrics' => 'bc',
+                'serialize' => '0'
             )
         )->willReturn("result");
         Proxy::setSingletonInstance($proxyMock);
@@ -497,7 +498,8 @@ class ReportTest extends IntegrationTestCase
                 'format' => 'original',
                 'module' => 'API',
                 'method' => 'Referrers.getSearchEnginesFromKeywordId',
-                'format_metrics' => 'bc'
+                'format_metrics' => 'bc',
+                'serialize' => '0'
             )
         )->willReturn("result");
         Proxy::setSingletonInstance($proxyMock);