Netflix released the final season of “On My Block” on Monday, wrapping up four seasons of a comedy-drama that stood out among the streaming platform’s originals for its Latinx representation.
The series followed four high school students from a predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhood in South L.A.. A close group of friends make a pact to look out for each other and their commitment gets put to the test when protagonist Cesar (Diego Tinoco) is forced into a gang.
The first season debuted in early 2018, receiving praise for tackling heavy themes while maintaining a fun lighthearted tone.
In addition to dealing with romantic and coming-of-age issues like most teen drama characters do, “On My Block” characters face conflicts relating to gang violence, immigration, housing and education.
Netflix has created other predominantly Latinx oriented shows like “One Day At A Time,” which the streaming platform canceled in 2020 after four seasons creating backlash from fans, and “Gentefied,” which will return for its second season on Nov. 10.
The conclusion of the series raises questions over the future of Latinx representation on television. Despite being one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation, on-screen representation of Latinx communities remains minimal.
Latinos account for 18% of the U.S. population but only made up 5.3% of broadcast television roles during the 2018-2019 season, UCLA’s 2020 “Hollywood Diversity Report” revealed. Seven years prior that number was 5%, indicating that progress, although evident, remains limited.
Jennifer De Anda Plascencia, a USC sophomore double majoring in business and contemporary Latino & Latin American studies, said “On My Block” does a decent job at portraying Latinx characters. She appreciates the representation existing but criticizes its accuracy.
“It is not like a glamorous life for most and some people are kind of forced into it,” De Anda Plascencia said.
De Anda Plascencia said her Latina identity and cultural roots, as someone born in Mexico, are deeply important to her.
Looking back at her childhood, De Anda Plascencia said she realized she was underrepresented in most American shows, so she often gravitated toward Spanish channels. She feels the industry has more work to do in allowing Latinx audiences to feel seen.
“I feel like sometimes it’s easy to lose that connection to your culture. Growing up in the U. S., I know, for the most part, a lot of my friends’ parents didn’t even want them to speak Spanish because they don’t want them to be ridiculed in school,” De Anda Plascencia said. “So I feel like letting them know that it’s okay to have that passion for their culture and still be able to express it while living in the U.S. is very important.”
Elizabeth Tapia, a USC graduate student studying public health, said her Latinx identity often influences the entertainment she consumes. As a fan of “On My Block,” she feels she would have resonated with the show even more when she was in high school because of its representation and coming-of-age themes.
The lack of Latinx representation in television prompted Tapia to try to identify with characters that didn’t look like her, which she said she found more difficult. She acknowledged that representation of the community has increased since she was a child, but improvements still need to be made, especially in casting.
“A lot of the shows I’ve seen that do have Latinx members or characters, they tend to be lighter skinned. They’re not very diverse at the entire picture of who’s Latinx,” Tapia said. “We’re still missing a lot of the Indigenous or Latino representations so, in that aspect, it can still be improved.”
Natassja Tidball, co-president of USC’s Latinx Film and Media Association, said not only is representation crucial for consumers but it’s financially beneficial for producers.
Tidball said representation doesn’t need to be limited to series about Latinx communities, explaining that content that features people of color tends to be defined by social issues. She said there’s a place for both Latinx-focused shows and also just Latinx characters in general.
“Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a Latinx story, just Latinx characters.” Tidball said.
Rommel Villa, a filmmaker from Sucre, Bolivia and USC School of Cinematic Arts professor, said the lack of representation stems from a lack of Latinx people in power.
Villa said the industry is trying to check diversity boxes by providing assistant positions and grants to Latinx filmmakers without implementing permanent progress. He noted lack of Latinx diversity creates barriers for Latinx artists to succeed in the entertainment industry.
Villa said the lack of Spanish language content also contributes to the problem, arguing that executives need to cater to people who speak different languages. He added that the success of shows like “Squid Games” and “Money Heist” shows that American audiences will support non-English speaking content.
“There has definitely been progress and streaming services are much more open to funding and support for projects that aren’t the conventional cable show,” Villa said. " That’s where our Latinx projects can succeed the most.”
Although the series finale means the end of Monse, Ruby, Jamal and Cesar’s journeys, audiences won’t have to say goodbye to the show’s setting. Netflix announced a spinoff series, “Freeridge,” to focus on a new group of characters in the fictional town of Freeridge.