Teenage angst has been the subject matter of countless movies and TV shows. Films like Romeo & Juliet, Rebel Without a Cause, Sixteen Candles, Clueless, Twilight, and TV shows like Square Pegs, Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson’s Creek, and East Los High, have chronicled the trials and tribulations of the teen years ranging from alienation, not fitting in, dysfunctional family life, not having enough money, having too much money, and falling in love with a 108-year old vampire. But the times have changed 

After Stonewall, Gay Liberation, Gay Pride Parades, Queer Nation, LGBTQ, and the legalization and almost total societal acceptance of Same-Sex Marriage, we now have a plethora of films and TV shows exploring the problems of teens questioning their sexuality and the dilemma of coming out of the closet. Hulu’s Original TV series, Love, Victor, takes a sensitive, considered, and often humorous exploration into the journey of Victor Salazar’s, Michael Cimino (Annabelle Comes Home, Training Day), search for his true sexual identity. 

Meet the Salazar Family 

Victor’s story begins when his family hastily and mysteriously relocate from Texas to Atlanta. Atlanta? Why? Well, the official, press release-like explanation is that Victor’s father, Armando, James Martinez (Run All Night, God Friended Me), has found new employment in The Peach State. But we find out the real reason is Armando’s wife, Isabella, Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty, Delicious Meals), had an affair with her boss. Armando beats him up and feels obligated to leave Texas and yank the clan to Georgia. 

Isabella Ferreira (Orange Is the New Black), plays Pilar, Victor’s younger sister. Pilar is suffering from her own separation angst from her life and friends back in Texas and tends to act out. Little brother, Adrian, Mateo Fernandez (Love, Victor), takes it all in stride and is wise (but thank you, writers, not obnoxiously precocious) beyond his tender years. Kudos have to be given to the creators and writers of Love, Victor, Becky Albertalli, Elizabeth Berger, and Isaac Aptaker, for framing Victor’s story around a close-knit Latino family in a positive light. James Martinez’s Armando is a patient, even-handed, understanding father to his family. Armando makes Ward Cleaver look like Fagin. 

Ortiz as Victor’s mom, Isabel, adroitly weaves through a web of emotions as she deals with her son’s emergence from out of the closet, her troubled marriage, and her unhappy daughter, Pilar. Isabella Ferreira’s portrayal of Pilar, is a delicate emotional tight-rope walking act as she balances her bitterness about leaving Texas, her disappointment with her mother, her social insecurities, and worship of her older brother. Adrian (Mateo Fernandez), is the sweet, unassuming little brother you just want to take out for ice cream and a day at the park. 

The Salazars’ family chemistry is a definite plus in Love, Victor. Cimino is surrounded in the warm, family embrace of his co-stars.

Getting By With A Little Help From His Friends 

Love, Victor is based on the continuation of a previous film, Love, Simon, also by the creative team of Albertalli, Aptaker, and Berger, with a similar premise. The main character, Simon, played by Nick Robinson (Jurassic World, Everything, Everything), has been magically teleported to Love, Victor, and is now Victor’s mentor. As the new kid at the upscale Creekwood High School, Victor has a brief romance with Mia, a pretty African-American girl nicely played by Rachel Wilson (This is Us, The Americans). Mia is struggling with her sense of betrayal and abandonment by a mother who has disappeared and a father who is more interested in professional advancement at the expense of her happiness. 

Bebe Wood (The Real O’Neals, The New Normal), as Lake. George Sear (Will, When Fate Calls), as Benjie, and Anthony Turpel (9-11, This is Us), as Felix, round out a fine supporting cast. 

Looks Ain’t Everything, But It Sure Helps 

Everyone in Love, Victor looks like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. Not an untucked shirt, or wrinkled skirt in sight. The production values in Love, Victor are first-rate thanks to the cinematography of Mark Schwartzbard and Jp Wakayama, and production design by Cece Destefano. 

What’s Next? 

Victor Salazar crossed a threshold when he came out of the closet and began his journey to discover his true sexual identity. There have been inevitable setbacks, conflicts, heartaches, and disappointments. But aided by his mentor, Simon, and his Creekwood High School pals, and his loving, Latino family, he seems to be finding his way. 

But what lies ahead for Victor? Will he return to his native Texas and live and thrive in his true identity in one of the large, vibrant LGBTQ communities in Dallas, Houston, or Austin?

Will Victor have to navigate the sexual identity landscape defined by terms like Non-Binary and Pansexual? 

Regardless of where the storyline for Love, Victor takes us, it will be interesting to see Victor’s metamorphose when he emerges from his chrysalis and takes flight. 

Season 2 of Love, Victor airs on Hulu on June 11. 

Cast: Michael Cimino, Ana Ortiz, James Martinez, Isabella Ferreira, Mateo Fernandez, George Sear, Bebe Wood, Rachel Wilson, Anthony Turpel. 

The post Review: ‘Love, Victor’ Gay Teen Angst 2nd Season first appeared on .

By Roberto Leal 

Hulu’s Original TV series, Love, Victor, takes a sensitive, considered and often humorous exploration into the journey of Victor Salazar’s search for his true sexual identity. Michael Cimino (Annabelle Comes Home, Training Day) portrays Victor with a nuanced naivete and wholesome earnestness that makes him a sympathetic and likeable character. 

Teenage angst has been the subject matter of countless movies and TV shows. Films like Romeo & Juliet, Rebel Without a Cause, Sixteen Candles, Clueless and Twilight. TV shows like Square Pegs, Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson’s Creek and East Los High have chronicled the trials and tribulations of the teen years ranging from alienation, not fitting in, dysfunctional family life, not having enough money, having too much money and falling in love with a 108-year old vampire. But the times have changed. 

After Stonewall, gay liberation, gay pride parades, Queer Nation, LGBTQ and the legalization and almost total societal acceptance of same-sex marriage, we now have a plethora of films and TV shows exploring the problems of teens questioning their sexuality and the dilemma of coming out of the closet. 

MEET THE SALAZAR FAMILY 

Victor’s story begins when his family hastily and mysteriously relocates from Texas to Atlanta. Atlanta? Why? Well, the official press release-like explanation is that Victor’s father, Armando, James Martinez (Run All Night, God Friended Me) has found new employment in The Peach State. But we find out the real reason is Armando’s wife, Isabella, Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty, Delicious Meals) had an affair with her boss. Armando beats him up and feels obligated to leave Texas and yank the clan to Georgia. I don’t know. In Texas, if a husband beats up his wife’s lover they give him a parade, the keys to the city and write a Country and Western song about him sung by Willie Nelson. 

Isabella Ferreira (Orange Is the New Black, Beyond My Skin) plays Pilar, Victor’s younger sister. Pilar is suffering from her own separation angst from her life and friends back in Texas and tends to act out. Little brother, Adrian, Mateo Fernandez (Love, Victor) takes it all in stride and is wise (but thank you, writers) not obnoxiously precocious beyond his tender years. Kudos have to be given to the creators and writers of Love, Victor, Becky Albertalli, Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker for framing Victor’s story around a close-knit Latino family in a positive light. Martinez’s Armando is a patient, even-handed, understanding father to his family. Armando makes Ward Cleaver look like the evil villain Fagin from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. 

Ortiz as Victor’s mom, Isabella, adroitly weaves through a web of emotions as she deals with her son’s emergence from out of the closet, her troubled marriage and unhappy daughter, Pilar. Ferreira’s portrayal of Pilar, Victor’s younger sister, is a delicate, emotional tight-rope walking act as she balances her bitterness about leaving Texas, disappointment with her mother, social insecurities and worship of her older brother, Victor. Fernandez turns little brother Adrian into the sweet, unassuming kis brother you just want to go for ice cream and a day at the park.

Cimino, who is of Italian/Puerto Rican heritage, is surrounded and in the warm, family embrace of his co-stars. The Salazars’ family chemistry is a definite plus in Love, Victor. 

Love, Victor is based on the continuation of a previous film, Love, Simon, also by the creative team of Albertalli, Aptaker and Berger, with a similar premise. The main character, Simon, played by Nick Robinson (Jurassic World, Everything, Everything) has been magically teleported to Love, Victor and is now Victor’s mentor. As the new kid at the upscale Creekwood High School, Victor has a brief romance with Mia, a pretty African-American girl nicely played by Rachel Wilson (This is Us, The Americans). Mia is struggling with her sense of betrayal and abandonment by a mother who has disappeared and a father who is more interested in professional advancement at the expense of her happiness. 

Bebe Wood (The Real O’Neals, The New Normal as Lake, George Sear (Will, When Fate Calls)as Benjie and Anthony Turpel (9-11, This is Us) as Felix round out a fine supporting cast. 

LOOKS AIN’T EVERYTHING BUT IT SURE HELPS 

Everyone in Love, Victor looks like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. Not an untucked shirt or wrinkled skirt in sight. The show’s production values are first-rate thanks to the cinematography of Mark Schwartzbard Jp Wakayama and production design by Cece Destefano. 

WHAT’S NEXT? 

Victor Salazar crossed a threshold when he came out of the closet and began his journey to discover his true sexual identity. There have been inevitable setbacks, conflicts, heartaches and disappointments. But aided by his mentor, Simon, his Creekwood High School pals and his loving Latino family, he seems to be finding his way.

But what lies ahead for Victor? Will he return to his native Texas and live and thrive in his true identity in one of the large, vibrant LGBTQ communities in Dallas, Houston or Austin? Will Victor have to navigate the sexual identity landscape defined by terms like no-binary and pansexual? 

Regardless of where the storyline for Love, Victor takes us, it will be interesting to see his anticipated transformation when he emerges from his chrysalis and takes flight. 

Season 2 of Love, Victor airs on Hulu on June 11. 

Featured Photo: Michael Cimino in Love, Victor (Credit: Hulu/Mitchell Haddad)

The post Review: ‘Love, Victor,’ Gay Teen Angst With A Latino Twist first appeared on .

By Ana Perez

Hulu announced the company’s lineup of upcoming original programming including the fourth season of the multi-award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale, the third and final season of comedy series Shrill and new adult animation series Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.

The company also announced a series order for new original limited series Iron Mike from 20^th Television and the team behind I, Tonya, as well as an early third season renewal for Animaniacs from Steven Spielberg (Ready Player One, Schindler’s List).

“With returning seasons of award-winning comedies and dramas, Hulu’s 2021 slate of Original series truly has something for everyone,” said Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome back the stories and characters fans have connected with in The Handmaid’s Tale, Shrill, Animaniacs and Love, Victor, while taking viewers deeper into the character of Mike Tyson in Iron Mike and bringing animated but deeply human characters to life in Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.”

With 39.4 million subscriptions as of Jan. 2, 2021, Hulu has gained remarkable momentum over the past year with the streamer recently earning a record 10 Golden Globe nominations across five titles, five SAG Award nominations, five WGA Award nominations and seven NAACP Image Award nominations.

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.

Hulu’s new adult animated comedy series Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. premieres all 10 episodes Friday, May 21. In “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.,” the megalomaniacal supervillain M.O.D.O.K. (Patton Oswalt) has long pursued his dream of one day conquering the world. But after years of setbacks and failures fighting the Earth’s mightiest heroes, M.O.D.O.K. has run his evil organization A.I.M. into the ground. Ousted as A.I.M.’s leader, while also dealing with his crumbling marriage and family life, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing is set to confront his greatest challenge yet!

The series stars Oswalt, Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Aimee Garcia (Lucifer, Dexter), Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ben Schwartz, Beck Bennett, Jon Daly and Sam Richardson. Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is created and written by executive producers Jordan Blum and Oswalt. Brett Crawley, Robert Maitia, Grant Gish, Joe Quesada, Karim Zreik and Jeph Loeb also serve as executive producers.

Love, Victor

The popular teen dramedy Love, Victor produced by Disney returns with all 10 episodes on Friday, June 11. Season two picks up with a newly out-of-the-closet Victor (Michael Cimino) entering his junior year at Creekwood High. However, being out brings new challenges as Victor faces a family struggling with his revelation, a heartbroken ex-girlfriend in Mia (Rachel Naomi Hilson), and the difficulties of being an openly gay star athlete — all while navigating the excitement of his new relationship with Benji (George Sear).

The series stars Cimino (Annabelle Comes Home), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), James Martinez (One Day at a Time), Isabella Ferreira (Orange is the New Black), Mateo Fernandez, Rachel Naomi Hilson, Bebe Wood, Sear, Anthony Turpel and Mason Gooding. The film’s original writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger serve as executive producers alongside Brian Tanen, Jason Ensler, Isaac Klausner, Marty Bowen, Adam Fishbach, Wyck Godfrey, Pouya Shahbazian and Adam Londy.

Iron Mike

Hulu has picked up 8-episode limited series Iron Mike. From the team behind I, Tonya, the series explores the wild, tragic and controversial life and career behind one of the most polarizing figures in sports culture – heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

From 20th Television and created by I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers, showrunner Karin Gist will executive produce with Claire Brown of The Gist Of It, along with the I, Tonya team of Rogers, director Craig Gillespie, Clubhouse Pictures’ Bryan Unkeless and Scott Morgan, LuckyChap’s Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Brett Hedblom and Entertainment 360’s Darin Friedman.

Animaniacs

Following a successful first season and practically blowing up the internet, Animaniacs has been renewed for a third, zany season on Hulu consisting of 10 episodes. The series garnered the most social mentions of any Hulu Original to date over its season one opening weekend proving that fans can’t get enough of watching Yakko, Wakko and Dot as they wreak havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. The second season of Animaniacs will debut later this year.

After returning to their beloved home, the Warner Bros. Water Tower, the Animaniacs waste no time in causing chaos and comic confusion as they run loose through the studio and beyond, turning the world into their personal playground. Joining Yakko, Wakko and Dot are fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain who will also return to continue their quest for world domination.Hulu, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation join forces again to extend the legacy of the iconic, family friendly animated series. Spielberg returns as executive producer of the series, with Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, Amblin Television Co-Presidents Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey also serving as executive producers.  Wellesley Wild serves as showrunner and executive producer. Gabe Swarr serves as co-executive producer. Animaniacs is produced by Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation.

The Handmaid’s Tale

The fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres with three episodes on Wednesday, April 28. In the 10-episode upcoming season, June (Elisabeth Moss) strikes back against Gilead as a fierce rebel leader, but the risks she takes bring unexpected and dangerous new challenges. Her quest for justice and revenge threatens to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships.

The series stars Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, Amanda Brugel, Bradley Whitford and Sam Jaeger. The Handmaid’s Tale season four will be executive produced by Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Eric Tuchman, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Sheila Hockin, Kira Snyder and Yahlin Chang. The series is produced by MGM Television and internationally distributed by MGM.

Shrill

The third and final season of Shrill premieres all eight episodes on Friday, May 7. The new season finds Annie (Aidy Bryant) energized by her breakup with dud boyfriend Ryan (Luka Jones) and her newfound momentum at work. Annie feels like everything is finally falling into place for her, but does she actually know how to get what she wants?

Shrill stars Bryant, Lolly Adefope, Ian Owens and John Cameron Mitchell. The series is executive produced by Ali Rushfield, who also serves as showrunner, Bryant, Lindy West, Rob Klein, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, Broadway Video and Brownstone Productions. Warner Bros. Television serves as the international distributor.

The post Hulu Presents Upcoming Original Series first appeared on .

The much-anticipated new Hulu series Love, Victor, premieres on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, starring Michael Cimino as Victor. Love, Victor, is an LGBT+ teen drama premiering in June, recognized as Pride Month. It also comes at a time when LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, +) representation has dropped on streaming sites.

While following the basic formula of the teen drama programs centering on the challenges of coming of age in the modern era, Love, Victor also highlights the challenges that young LGBT+ POC people face. It integrates the impact that ethnicity, race, cultural practices, and religion can have on a young LGBT+ POC, which can drastically impact their ability to explore, gain support, and come out, compared to their white LGBT+ counterparts.

According to GLADD’s “We are on TV” Report for the 2019-2020 season, there has been an increase of LGBT+ people of color (POC) represented on both broadcast and cable television. Last year, LGBT+ POC outnumbered white LGBT+ characters on broadcast television at 52%. While cable television had 48% percent of LGBT+ characters as POC. This increase also includes LGBT+ Latinx characters, with shows such as Vida and Pose.

Unfortunately, streaming shows have seen a drop in LGBT+ POC representation, at 7%, most notably among LGBT+ Latinx characters. After the departure of One Day at a Time from Netflix to the cable channel Pop TV, there is just a handful of programs with LGBT+ Latinx characters, including Gentefied.

Love, Victor is an original spin-off series, based on the successful book tuned film Love, Simon (2018). Love, Simon broke new ground as the first LGBT+ teen romantic comedy film to be released by a major Hollywood studio, 20th Century Fox. The film follows Simon (Nick Robinson) a closeted white gay high school student, afraid of coming out to his family and friends, begins to communicate with another closeted gay student from his high school via the internet. When faced with the possibility of being outed, Simon goes on a journey of coming to terms with his identity and facing his biggest fear, coming out of the closet.

The writers for Love, Simon Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers for Love, Victor . They keep many similarities between the movie and show, including it being set in the same time period and at the same high school, Creekwood High. However, with Love, Victor Aptaker and Berger wanted to take a different route exploring the LGBT+ POC experience, specifically the Latinx experience.

In Love, Victor, a nearly 16-year-old Victor Salazar (Cimino) and his family have recently moved from Texas to Atlanta, Gregoria. Though the reason for their movie is initially unclear, we see there is a strain of mysterious origin in his parent’s marriage having an impact on the children. As Victor begins to become situated at Creekwood High he develops a crush on his fellow student Benjie (George Sear), who’s openly gay. He also develops a close bond with his new friend Mia (Rachael Hilson), making him wonder what his true orientation is.

Cimino has been acting since 2015, most notably in Annabelle Comes Home (2019), the third installment of the popular Warner Bros. Pictures Annabelle horror series. This is Cimino’s first major series leading role. Victor’s parents Isabel and Armando are portrayed by seasoned television actors Anna Ortiz (Ugly Betty and Devious Maids) and James Martinez (House of Cards and One Day at a Time). While Victor’s younger siblings Pilar and Adrian will be played by Isabella Ferreira (Orange Is the New Black and Joker) and newcomer Mateo Fernandez. Other notable appearances in Love, Victor include Robinson reprising his role as Simon and popular drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova (RuPaul’s Drag Race).

Originally, Love, Victor was going to be a Disney+ show. However, due to content on the show having adult themes, such as marital issues, underage alcohol use, and sexual exploration, the show was moved Hulu. Hulu has a greater focus on young adult programming, whereas Disney+ focuses more on family content, especially families with smaller children. Disney has 77% controlling interest, with 33% co-owned by Comcast/NBC Universal in Hulu, after acquiring Hulu from 21st Century Fox, in March 2019 (Variety).

Now more than ever, audiences both white and of color, as well as straight and LGBT+ are looking for programs reflective of diverse real-life situations. Among the numerous comments to the Love, Victor youtube trailer by young adults, especially among LGBT+ Latinx reviewers, there is a universally positive and hopeful reaction. At times some reviewers became emotional, because many are experiencing for the first-time seeing is a leading character like them going through similar challenges, like them.

With Hulu’s library including an extensive amount of LGBT+ and Latino programming, Love, Victor, with its optimistic and relatable story will be a wonderful addition to their platform.

The post Hulu’s LGBT+ Teen Drama Starring Latinx Family first appeared on .