Vida Information

Vida is an American drama television series based on the short story Pour Vida by Richard Villegas Jr. that premiered on May 6, 2018, on Starz. The series was created by Tanya Saracho, stars Melissa Barrera and Mishel Prada, and is executive produced by Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf, Robin Schwartz, and Stephanie Langhoff. On June 12, 2018, it was announced that Starz had renewed the series for a second season.

Premise

Vida follows "two Mexican-American sisters, Emma and Lyn, from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn't be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to their old neighborhood, where they are confronted by the past and shocking truth about their mother"?s identity."

Cast and characters

Main

• Melissa Barrera as Lyn Hernandez
• Mishel Prada as Emma Hernandez
• Ser Anzoategui as Eddy Martnez
• Chelsea Rendon as Marisol Sanchez
• Carlos Miranda as Johnny Sanchez
• Maria Elena Laas as Cruz

Recurring

• Elena Campbell-Martnez as Doa Lupe
• Ramses Jimenez as Tlaloc Medina
• Luis Bordonada as Nelson Herrera
• Elizabeth De Razzo as Yoli
• Rene Victor as Doa Tita
• Adelina Anthony as Rocky
• Erika Soto as Karla

Episodes

|Viewers = 0.020
|ShortSummary = Two estranged sisters, Emma and Lyn, return to their old neighborhood, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, after the sudden death of their mother  Vidalia ("Vida"? for short). Upon their return, they are introduced to Vidalia"?s "roommate,"? Eddy. At the memorial service Emma feels distant and out of place, while Lyn is eager to reunite with her high school lover, Johnny. A young woman named Cruz shows up to express her condolences, which captures Emma's attention. Johnny reveals that Vida was actually married to Eddy, which infuriates Emma for reasons that are unknown to Lyn. To complicate matters further, Vida willed 30 percent of the ownership of their family-owned bar to Eddy and split the other 70 percent between Emma and Lyn. At a local restaurant, Emma tells Lyn that they need to sell the bar. The sisters run into Johnny's little sister Mari, which results in an argument. When the sisters return home and announce their plan, Eddy announces that she will never sell.
|LineColor = FE77A3

}}

|Viewers = 0.181
|ShortSummary = Mari vandalizes a local store that has been gentrified and the distressed owner confronts her. Emma meets with a local realtor and learns that he sold Vidalia a predatory mortgage on the bar when Vidalia was unable to pay off her first mortgage. The realtor says he can still get Emma an offer for the bar and proceeds to touch her leg suggestively. Appalled, Emma spills her coffee on his lap and states she will never sell to him. Lyn goes for a run and ends up at the garage Johnny works at. Johnny proclaims that he has never been happier in his life, as he has a fianc and baby on the way, and that Lyn needs to stay away from him. They end up having sex and Mari sees them. Upon arriving back home, Emma tells Lyn that they need to stay a little longer. Emma, Lyn and Eddy end up eating flan together.
|LineColor = FE77A3

}}

|Viewers = 0.133
|ShortSummary = Emma hooks up with a nonbinary person from a dating app, which she reveals to Lyn when she gets home. Lyn says that she supports Emma and however her sister identifies. Eddy"?s anguish over Vidalia"?s death comes out in a confrontation with Emma and Lyn over the bar"?s troubled financial statements, and Eddy continues to struggle. Mari attends a meeting for neighborhood activists and is distracted by her crush, Tlalac. After the meeting, Tlalac expresses interest in Mari and prompts her to give him a blow-job, and she complies. Tlalac films the act, unbeknownst to Mari. Carla, Johnny's fianc, goes to the bar to confront Lyn about the affair and is greeted by Eddy first, then Emma, and finally Lyn. At night on the roof of the bar, Eddy smokes a cigar with a friend and discusses how waiting to enjoy the finer things in life is a waste of time. They express that instead, people should seize moments that will bring them happiness. Eddy mentions that Vidalia wanted to make things right with Emma, which Emma overhears as she smokes a cigarette on a fire escape. 
|LineColor = FE77A3

}}

|Viewers = 0.148
|ShortSummary = Feeling rejected in many ways, Lyn goes on a shopping spree with one of Vidalia's credit cards. She runs into a young man who invites her to a party in the Hollywood Hills, which she attends. Lyn's perception of herself shifts as she watches the Latina housekeeper at the party and deals with her new acquaintance's offhand comments about Latinx people. Emma goes to another bar to scope out the competition, and Cruz is surprised to see her there. Cruz invites Emma to hang out with her friends and they all continue to drink as the night progresses. Emma reveals that her mother sent her away twice in her youth, which she later realized was due to Vidalia"?s internalized homophobia. Emma and Cruz act on their romantic connection, but Emma ends up having a panic attack. Mari proceeds normally throughout her day at work and attends another activist meeting. When she brings up recent changes about Vidalia"?s bar, everyone looks at her strangely. Mari"?s friend shows her the explicit video of Mari, which Tlalac sent to people. Tlalac finds Mari and says he did not spread the video, but she remains skeptical and hurt. 
|LineColor = FE77A3

}}

|Viewers = 0.136
|ShortSummary = 
|LineColor = FE77A3

}}

|Viewers = 0.163
|ShortSummary = 
|LineColor = FE77A3

}} }}

Production

Development

In January 2016, the series was first announced as being in development at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, California during Starz"?s executive session. The show was announced alongside two other projects based on Spanish-language formats and stories from Hispanic creators. The series was entitled Pour Vida at the time and was inspired by a short story by Richard Villegas Jr. Production company Big Beach TV were set to produce with Marc Turtletaub, Dan Pasternack, and Erin Keating executive producing. On September 13, 2017, Starz officially announced that they had given the show, now entitled Vida, a series order. In January 2018, it was announced at the annual Television Critics Association winter press tour that the series would premiere on May 6, 2018. On June 12, 2018, it was reported that Starz had renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

In September 2017, Starz simultaneously made the first casting announcements alongside the series order. It was reported that Melissa Barrera and Veronica Osorio had been cast as Lyn and Emma, respectively. In November 2017, Karen Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, and Maria Elena Laas were announced as having joined the series' main cast. It was also announced that Mishel Prada had replaced Veronica Osorio in the role of Emma. In December 2017, the final additions to the cast were announced. These included the castings of Elena Campbell-Martnez, Ramses Jimenez, Luis Bordonada, Elizabeth De Razzo, Renee Victor, Adelina Anthony, and Erika Soto.

Release

Marketing

On February 8, 2018, Starz released the first teaser trailer for the series.

On March 10, 2018, Starz opened the "Starz Sensory House" at the annual South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The "sensory house" featured a multitude of screens playing the trailers for both new shows on a loop. Various types of food and drinks were available and designed thematically to Vida and other new Starz series Sweetbitter. In keeping with the theme of "Vida,"? Spanish-style tapas were served throughout the event, including mini tostadas, Korean hangar steak kabobs, and bite-sized creme brles. Additionally, a series of six artisanal cocktails were also available, designed by Austin-based bartender Tracy Rowland. One such cocktail based on Vida included the "Chingonia", a mix of Blanco tequila, vermouth, aloe, white wine, and garnished with basil and cucumber. A musical element was also included through the all-female DJ collective Chulita Vinyl Club that performed. The Starz Sensory House was located at 88 Rainey Street in Austin and operated until March 12.

Premiere

On March 11, 2018, the series held its world premiere at the annual South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas at Austin Convention Center in the Vimeo Theater. Following the screening, Fawzia Mirza moderated a question-and-answer session with showrunner and executive producer Tanya Saracho along with cast members Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, and Maria Elena Laas.

Reception

The first season has been met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.97 out of 10, based on 28 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Vida explores familiar familial ground from a fresh perspective to create an earnest and heartfelt take on identity and what it means to belong." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 75 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".