Fotos y Recuerdos: Netflix Announces the Release of ‘Selena: The Series’

October 14, 2020 - San Antonio

By Valeria Torrealba - Staff Intern, San Antonio Sentinel

Netflix has announced the release date for its upcoming show, Selena: The Series. The series is due to be released on Friday, Dec. 4. 

Portrayed by Christian Serratos, Selena Quintanilla’s legacy will be shined upon in the upcoming series. The series is set to highlight a coming of age story for the Mexican-American icon, one who broke a multitude of barriers and brought the English and Spanish-speaking worlds together through her craft: music. 

“I remember the very first announcement,” said Sonya M. Alemán, associate professor of Mexican American studies and creator of the Selena course at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “[I] was full of excitement — trepidation and excitement. [Selena] is someone that’s loved and there’s this instinct about protecting her, her legacy and her image, that I think really true fans feel. [I feel] excitement, to continue to honor her and her legacy, and see her represented on that platform so people beyond her immediate community know about her — that’s super exciting.  [I feel] trepidation because mainstream representations of Latino communities in general have been negligible — they aren’t always very nuanced, and sensitive, fully dimensional representations. Those of us who pay attention to those things are primed to be hesitant about what those representations might look like.”

And Professor Alemán is correct — when it comes down to representation of Latinx communities in mainstream media, the results are often highly stereotypical characters, such as Sofia Vergaras’ representation of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in Modern Family, or the typical criminal in a Hollywood film. Latino women are everywhere and multi talented — they deserve more broad representation in the media, which is an aspect that Selena: The Series will hopefully shine a light upon. 

“[Hispanic Heritage Month awareness] has been on the radar more presently,” said Alemán. “It happens in cycles — in terms of advocacy — to improve that representation. There’s lots of scholars and lots of nonprofit groups that have been paying attention to that for years and helping document and quantify where the disparities are, both in front of, and behind the camera. I think it’s not just a coincidence that Netflix picked this month to announce the date, but this year has been so unpredictable — maybe they had an earlier release date, the pandemic could have slowed down production. Not to say that it’s less sincere or genuine when they released it. All of those things may have been factors. Maybe it was meaningful to them [the Quintanilla family] to have it released then [during Hispanic Heritage Month].” 

Netflix’s announcement came in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, effectively stirring up the doubt that it was done as a show of performative activism. A revolutionary, Selena’s legacy only hopes to be upheld throughout the series. The Quintanilla family has been involved with the production of the show. “Not to say that it’s somehow less sincere, or genuine of when they released it — all of those things might be factors,” said Alemán. “The month is set aside for us to have these kinds of conversations and pay attention to those issues. If it at least generates that conversation I think it’s good, I think it’s worth it. Recently, our own state Congressman, Joaquin Castro, has been meeting with district leaders— creative types — to discuss the types of representation of Latinos in Hollywood films. I believe that he’s bringing different groups together, helping them mobilize their own efforts — working actors and actresses, and advocacy groups — to ask for more representation [in the media]. All of that has been coming to the forefront, not just with the Latino community.”

The release of the series comes at a time where the Latinx community desires and deserves more representation in the media. With issues such as race, class and inequality coming to a boil amidst the pandemic and current political climate, representation of real, raw Latino stories become more imperative. Sharing the story of Selena Quintanilla with a broader audience can only bring more conversations to light, and hopefully bring awareness to the different aspects of Latinx culture all around the globe. 

“I remember the first time I saw the [Selena: The Movie] trailer,” said Alemán. “I was not living in Texas at the time. I was in the theater — there’s so many ironies about how I saw the trailer — I was in a movie theater with my husband. I was planning to see Evita, which was the closest to a Latino film —Madonna is the one who was cast to play Evita — it is Latino-centered, but we’re gonna cast a white woman to play a Latino woman. We’re sitting in the theater, and I hear Como La Flor. I remember getting goosebumps and being absolutely floored, absolutely stunned. I remember just being super emotional, to see something I could connect with — I’ve never seen that in a movie theater before! I’d love to think about Netflix being able to do this for a younger generation, on a global scale.”

RELATED: UTSA Course Honors Selena’s Legacy, Life

With the creation and production of the series, Netflix has essentially paved the way for younger generations to learn about a staple for the Latinx community. Mexican/Chicano history is glossed over often in the United States, but their stories are still worthy of sharing and representing.

“These are moments and opportunities for growth and reflection. I really hope it’s a successful launch, I hope it’s a wonderful production from start to finish,” Alemán said. “ I don’t want to be disappointed either, I want to be moved to tears, to sheer joy. If there was some strategic decision to announce it this month and it leads to these good outcomes, I think it’s good, I think it’s worth it.” 

Concerns over the adaptation include the accuracy of the story. However, because the Quintanilla family has been involved with the production, Selena’s story will be accurately portrayed. Of course, the concerns of romantic tropes and Hollywood flair taking over the series still arise.

“Very early on, it was clear that the Quintanilla family was part of the decision-making and the process,” said Alemán. “That provides a bit of assurance — or, you know, more credibility. It assumes some of those concerns. I’m not saying it’s going to be accurate or completely factual — it’s not like they’re recreating a kind of diary of her. There is going to be [some Hollywood] because that’s the nature of the business.” 

Professor Alemán is the creator of a Selena Quintanilla course at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In the course, students will explore Selena’s work and other topics, such as race, gender, identity and class. Alemán hopes to one day incorporate the series into her classroom, further allowing students to see the impact Quintanilla had on Latinx culture. 

“If the timing works out, it’ll definitely be a part of the course,” said Alemán. “I’m very hopeful and optimistic that I’ll be able to teach this course again — I’m hopeful to incorporate the series into the course. I minimize how many video clips [of Selena] we use, because my first cohort of students are such big fans that they’ve seen almost everything there is. Even though they clearly can watch these videos and snippets of her over and over, it’s been a challenge to play clips on an online site. I hope that the next iteration of this course is face-to-face, where I can incorporate bits of this digital archive to help work through the conversations that it can inspire. The larger kind of goal is to inspire that centering a course around Selena is worthy, because our Mexican American communities have knowledge that is worth studying. It’s about her, but it’s also about the community she comes from and who she represents. That has always been key to me. I’m very much looking forward to the day where I can pull from this new release.” 

RELATED: SA Honors Selena Tuesday Night at the Pearl

With the launch of the series on such a wide and well-known platform, the conversation regarding Latinx culture can successfully arise within everyone viewing the final product. 

“I encourage people to give it a try, and to realize that even well-intentioned mediated productions aren’t going to be perfect,” said Alemán. “They’re just not. It’s an impossibility. I hope that there’s enough of them doing things right that people will champion it, and will give us a reason to make more. This isn’t our one and only chance — I want them to realize that there’s a wealth and complex of characters, people and histories that deserve to be told in this kind of platform. I hope that we can push them in that direction with the viewing of this release.” 

There are thousands of icons throughout Mexican-American history — Selena Quintanilla remains a staple in the childhoods of many. By bringing awareness to her story and her groundbreaking work, Netflix can only successfully carve the path to open up more conversations about a culture and communities that are often overlooked or marginalized in the media. The release comes at a time where diversity is desperately needed in Hollywood — amplifying the voices of these communities can only help the world come together and celebrate different cultures. 

Valeria Torrealba is an opinions columnist and public relations assistant at the University Star, a student publication of Texas State University. Email her at reporter@sasentinel.com.