Best of 2022: 15 of the Best Latinx Shows That Aired This Year
Latinx representation in media has never been more important and 2022 was a year where many strides for the community were made on TV
Photos: HBO/NBC
Latinx representation in media has never been more important and 2022 was a year where many strides for the community were made on TV. But beyond representation, we loved seeing Latinx-led shows telling a variety of stories reinforcing the point that we are not a monolith. We saw the premiere of brand-new shows like Gordita Chronicles and Lopez vs Lopez with a strong Latinx presence in front and behind the camera. We also saw the return of old favorites like Love, Victor and Los Espookys, which offered much-needed LGBTQIA+ Latinx representation and unique storytelling. As the year comes to a close, we wanted to share a few of our favorites, so here are 15 Latinx TV shows that made their mark on TV culture this year.
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Wednesday
Netflix’s brand-new comedy series Wednesday just released and it’s since broken platform records, gone viral on social media, and captured the hearts of viewers all over the world. The series features scream queen Jenny Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, in the titular role and revives and reimagines Wednesday Addams from the classic cartoon. As she attends the magical boarding school Nevermore, she also discovers her psychic powers, solves a murder mystery, and runs into trouble of her own. We’re already hoping for more seasons!
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Gordita Chronicles
Gordita Chronicles was unfortunately canceled by HBO Max after one season but we loved what we saw. Taking place in the 80s in Miami, the comedy series follows Cucu Castelli and her family as they immigrate from the Dominican Republic. Throughout the show, they try to adjust to American ways of life at school, home, and work and learn to always put family first above anything else. The show was revolutionary for casting its main lead as a plus-size Afro-Latina played by actress Olivia Goncalves and its cancellation has been met with protests from fans. The series is currently being shopped to other networks so fingers crossed that we’ll be able to watch a season 2!
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Andor
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We loved seeing Mexican actor Diego Luna returning to our screens this year. This time, he reprises his leading role as Cassian Andor from the Star Wars spin-off film Rogue One, cementing his status as one of the cherished “Space Latinos.” Andor is a prequel series, taking place five years before the events of Rogue One and the original 1977 Star Wars film. Since premiering in September, the show has earned critical acclaim, especially for Luna’s performance. A second and final season is being filmed and will hopefully premiere on Disney+ in 2024.
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Love, Victor
2022 was the year we said goodbye to Hulu’s Love, Victor, a comedy-drama TV spin-off of the 2018 film Love, Simon. The original film was praised for its LGBTQIA+ representation, being the first major Hollywood studio film to center on a gay teenage romance. Love, Victor took the premise to a whole new level with its lead character Victor Salazar, played by Michael Cimino. Not only is he coming to terms with his sexuality but is trying to reconcile it with his Latinx identity as the oldest child of a Puerto Rican and Colombian family. The show was a major win for LGBTQIA+ Latinxs, showing Victor’s coming out moment and the aftermath as he dates and falls in love. We might not be getting any more seasons but it’s still a great one to re-watch.
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Moon Knight
From Zoe Saldaña to Tessa Thompson, Lupita Nyong’o to Salma Hayek, we can’t get enough of seeing Latinxs in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)! This year, Oscar Isaac made his Marvel debut as the lead of Moon Knight. The miniseries follows the titular character, who is a mercenary with dissociative identity disorder (DID) attempting to solve a mystery involving Egyptian gods and his own alter egos and personas. It was amazing to see one of his personas, Jake Lockley, speaking Spanish throughout the show, drawing on Isaac’s own Guatemalan heritage. No second season has been announced but Isaac has hinted that his character will return to the MCU in another project.
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Blockbuster
Netflix’s new comedy series Blockbuster features not one, not two, but three Latinx characters played by Cuban American actors Melissa Fumero, Olga Merediz, and Tyler Alvarez, which definitely makes this a show a win for representation. Randall Park stars as the lead, playing the manager of the last Blockbuster Video store in the world. The show explores what it means to own a small business, one that seems like a relic of the past in a streaming service world, and how a group of employees can truly become a family. Netflix hasn’t announced if they will renew the series for a second season but its premise, heart, and representation definitely made an impact on viewers this year.
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Los Espookys
After a three-year delay because of the pandemic, we finally got a second season of HBO’s Los Espookys! Featuring an all-Latinx main cast, the Spanish-language comedy series follows a group of friends who form a business to use their special effects, acting skills, and love of horror to pull off scares for money. The most recent season takes on the spookiness and plays with reality to a new creative level, all while providing nuanced and fresh perspectives on Latinidad. Los Espookys was recently canceled by HBO but it will always hold a special place in our hearts, especially during the spooky season.
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Lopez vs Lopez
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Beloved Mexican American comedian George Lopez returned to the classic comedy sitcom this year in Lopez vs Lopez, co-starring with his real-life daughter Mayan Lopez. The series follows the father and daughter pair as they navigate their lives together after several years of estrangement from their family, including his ex-wife. Beneath the drama, missed opportunities, and unsolicited advice is a love of heart, love, and laughter among family, no matter how much time they’ve spent apart. They tackle important topics including anxiety and the struggle of being a non-Spanish speaking Latina while providing different generational perspectives.
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Only Murders in the Building
The critically-acclaimed series Only Murders in the Building, which stars Mexican American actress Selena Gomez in the main cast, released their second season on Hulu over the summer and we couldn’t have been happier. The series follows Gomez’s character Mabel Mora teaming up with Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin) and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) to solve a murder in their apartment building an amateur detectives and true crime fans. In season two, the trio finds themselves as suspects in another murder and have to prove their innocence. Since its debut, it has received numerous awards, nominations, and accolades, especially for Gomez’s performance, and broken streaming records on Hulu. Season 3 has already been confirmed but Hulu hasn’t announced a release date yet.
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The Casagrandes
Whether you have a child in your life or just love a good animated comedy series, you probably know all about the hit Nickelodeon show, The Casagrandes. A spin-off of The Loud House, the show follows a young girl, her brother, and her mother as they move in with their extended family, the Casagrandes, in Great Lakes City. The show was recently canceled in September but aired for three years and featured a star-studded line-up of Latinx voice talent including Carlos PenaVega (Big Time Rush), Alexis PenaVega (Spy Kids), and Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included, How to Be a Latin Lover).
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Promised Land
ABC’s Promised Land premiered this year was a drama that followed a Mexican American winery-owning family with a patriarch, Joe Sandoval (John Ortiz), who was revealed to be undocumented. The show had many dramatic elements reminiscent of telenovelas but it also shined a light on the struggles of the undocumented community. The series was canceled after one season despite a large fanbase but we loved seeing how Joe climbed the ladder and went on to become one of the most powerful men in the business.
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With Love
With Love may have premiered in 2021 but we really enjoyed it at the start of the year and we’re hoping for a Dec 2022 release of season two. With a mostly Latinx cast including Constance Marie (George Lopez, Selena) and Benito Martinez (The Shield, Sons of Anrachy), the show also features Black and Asian actors in lead roles. Show creator Gloria Calderón Kellett, who brought us One Day at a Time, is behind the Prime Video comedy series where each episode takes place during a major holiday.
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Charmed
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We love CW’s Charmed, a reboot of the original 1989 fantasy-drama show of the same name. Unlike the original, the show made headlines for being more inclusive and casting women of color in the three main roles including Melonie Diaz, who is of Puerto Rican descent and plays Mel Vera. In the show itself, the three sisters are confirmed to be of Latinx, African American, and white descent. Diaz’s character is also a lesbian, bringing much-needed LGBTQIA+ Latinx representation. The show was canceled this year but did release a fourth and final season in May. We love seeing Latinx witches on screen and hopefully will see more Latinxs in fantasy shows in 2023!
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How I Met Your Father
We’re loving the female friendship at the center of How I Met Your Father, a spin-off of How I Met Your Mother! The show premiered this year in January to rave reviews and features Hilary Duff in the lead role as Sophie. It also stars her best friend and roommate Valentina, played by Francia Raisa (Grown-ish), who is of Mexican and Honduran descent. She plays an assistant stylist and always shows up in the most fashionable outfits throughout the show. We love a stylish Latina especially one who wore a Selena tee on the show. The series was renewed for a second season just a month after premiering but no release date has been announced yet. In the meantime, the entire first season is available to stream on Hulu.
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The L Word: Generation Q
Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q is a sequel series to The L Word, set 10 years after the original show and featuring an inclusive new cast of diverse characters. The show follows a group of LGBTQIA+ friends experiencing heartbreak, love, sex, and success in Los Angeles. The Latinx talent includes Chilean and Iranian actress Arienne Mandi as Dani, Afro-Dominican actress Rosanny Zayas as Sophie, and Dominican American actress and model Jillian Mercado. The show has a devoted following since the first iteration and it’s wonderful to now see not only a diverse cast but diverse storytelling that better represents the melting pot that is Los Angeles.
