By Brenda De La Cruz
The new Netflix hit “Selena: The Series” brings viewers a new look at what the entire Quintanilla family endures as the young star rises to fame. It’s filled with sweet family moments, as well as stressful ones.
The series is produced by Selena’s older sister Suzette Quintanilla. The audience is told the story of the Mexican-American singer and how her family and she climbed obstacles in order to make it to the top. The series sets a consistent tone of family warmth, mixed with funny moments sprinkled with some serious scenes involving parental authority and what that does to the family.
“Selena,” the film, was released in 1997 and starred Jennifer Lopez. Viewers may immediately compare the series to the movie. While the film may have been fun to watch, it only showed fans a quick look into the life of the late singer.
This series dives deeper into the life of the singer, focusing heavily on the early years of her career. The series focuses on family relationships, which may leave the viewer disliking some characters, while completely connecting with others.
Viewers are made to see that success does not happen overnight, this is proved by the ongoing hard work the family puts in with every episode. The audience get a glimpse of the levels Abraham Quintanilla, played by Ricardo Chavira, is willing to go to in order to ensure success in the music business for his three children.
The 1997 film also does not show how pressured A.B. Quintanilla, played by Gabriel Chavarria, was to create stand-out beats for the band to continue their success.
The series allows each character to shine in order to give the audience an authentic look into their lives. Selena is played by Christian Serratos, who is known for her role as Rosita in AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”
It is evident Serratos does not look entirely like the late singer. Viewers have made their dislike for her very clear through social media comments.
Some viewers made comments regarding Serratos not being the right weight to play the Tejana singer and how far off Netflix was with casting. It is well known that the late singer was curvy compared to Serratos’ smaller frame.
However, despite the physical difference, Serratos is able to emulate the singer’s facial expressions and energy around her loved ones in every scene.
For serious fans it can be hit-or-miss. Fans may enjoy the series because they get a dose of the intimate moments the family experienced.
On the other hand, many die-hard Selena fans may be upset because they may have imagined the lead actress completely different from who was in fact casted to play her.
Ultimately, there will never be a 100 percent consensus when it comes to such a loved, well-received and respected artist.
There are a total of nine episodes in the first part of the series, with each episode running approximately 32 to 40 minutes in length.
The series is rated PG and can be streamed on Netflix. Fans of the show are eager for part two, but there is no release date.