From action-packed dramas to romantic date night must-sees, we’re bringing you a list of our picks for our top 7 favorite Latinx shows. This carefully crafted selection has a mix of shows in English and Spanish for some much-needed watching-binges for Latinx Heritage Month. Representation is always needed, and it’s easy to see why all of these shows mentioned below have been widely popular amongst all kinds of audiences; they are, after all, universal stories all audiences can enjoy.
We narrowed it down to seven shows that made waves this year. Some of them are new, some of them are coming out with new seasons as they keep making a solid impact on their respective streaming platform. As we continue making waves in Hollywood, we’re fully expecting these lists to choose from to keep getting bigger and bigger – as it should be.
So without further ado, here are our top 7 favorite Latinx shows:
Gentified
This fan-favorite comes back strong in November 2021 for its second season. We love this show because of its accurate representation of the struggles Latinx people face when trying to connect with their heritage, their old and new communities, and how difficult navigating family dynamics can be. If you haven’t had time to binge the first season, the story centers around three cousins who team up to keep their Grandfather’s popular Boyle Heights taco shop in business as the neighborhood becomes more and more gentrified by the day.
Quien Mato a Sara?
This Mexican-produced show is packed full of drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure. The story centers around Alex, a man who has spent his last 18 years in prison after being incriminated of the murder of his own younger sister by the Lazcano family, who are making moves to watch their own backs but…. yeah we’ll stop there, you’ll have to see to it to find out what happens. Oh! And by the way, this show has become the best non-English-speaking premiere in the history of Netflix in the United States, so yeah, if you haven’t seen it, don’t walk, run 😉.
Pose
Our love for Pose grows stronger and stronger every day. I mean, what other show out there right now has both LGBTQ and African-American Latinx representation while simultaneously being one of the best-written shows ever? We watched the show’s series finale in June of 2021, and while we’re sad that it’s over, it’s undeniable that the story was wrapped up beautifully, leaving us with a timeless tale and bittersweet feelings.
Pose follows the story of Bianca and the house of Evangelista, a house where she welcomes in LGBTQ youth who have been rejected by their own birth families. Bianca gives them a new family they can count on and feel loved by, the Downton scene, ball culture, and rise of the luxury Trump-era universe all make every second of this show as entertaining as can be.
Desenfrenadas
Back with another Mexican-produced show that’s fully in Spanish, we have Desenfrenadas or Unstoppable, if you prefer the English translation. A drama that’s exquisitely filled with comedy, it follows the journey of three friends, Rocío, Vera, and Carlota, who on a whim decide to make a self-proclaimed “life-changing” trip to Oaxaca, where they meet a stranger that changes their lives. Not only is this show amazingly written, but it also displays beautiful Mexican scenery and a good dose of its culture. The show unfortunately only ran for a single season, however despite its short run, this show is a total must-watch that tells a wonderful story of female friendship in just ten episodes, and I mean, come on, you can totally binge-watch it in a single night.
Los Espookys
Alright, plenty of Netflix shows; let’s move on to HBO. Over on this streaming site, we have “Los Espookys” accurately called a “modern age Scooby-Doo.” This chilling comedy follows a group of friends that have decided to turn their love for horror into a business; where they try their best to make people believe fabricated horror-film-like situations are real. It gives you a healthy dose of horror while making you laugh in between being spooked with a rollercoaster of emotions. The story takes place in a “dreamy Latin American country” and has been renewed for a second season that we can’t wait for! Oh, and by the way, it has a killer soundtrack that made the show an Emmy winner back in 2019.
On my Block
The show follows their lives in a rough neighborhood of South-Central Los Angeles. We love how raw these Latinx characters are, as they are both bright and street-savvy despite being confused as all hell teenagers. And did we mention the show is also hilarious? The show has three seasons so far and left us with a huge cliffhanger on its last episode, but fear not! Its fourth and final season is only a few days away, scheduled for October 4, 2021.
We hadn’t really seen many Latinx coming-of-age stories before On my Block premiered on Netflix back in 2018. The reason for its success over the last few years is definitely its ability to show real problems that Latinx youth have to face every day as four teenagers begin their troubling high school years in a way that isn’t full of superficial stereotypes and trauma porn.
The Baker and the Beauty
And last but most certainly, not least we present you that romantic-date-night-must-see we were talking about. The Baker and the Beauty had us getting those first-date butterflies with the intriguing love story of Noa and Daniel; a couple that seems unlikely to work at first due to their lifestyle differences but slowly but surely it starts to come together.
Alongside them, we also see the stories behind the members of Daniel’s family, so this show also does a great job at portraying a positive but very realistic immigrant family making their way in the U.S. with their small business while facing many struggles. This packed full of culture show is a total must-watch, sadly it only has one season so far, but fans of the show are once again hopeful for more as Netflix added the show in April of 2021. So, fingers crossed.