‘Selena: The Series’ Review: Netflix Fails to Honor the Late Singer

‘Selena: The Series” resembles a Lifetime documentary more than a Netflix film. Is this series really worth the watch?

Selena Quintanilla paved the way for female singers to succeed in the entertainment industry. Selena Quintanilla, known as the Tejano Queen, was on her way to international success before her murder, days shy of her 24th birthday. Selena was known for her charisma, stage presence, fashionable outfits, and her million dollar smile.

When Netflix announced ‘Selena: The Series’, many fans were excited. On the other hand, fans started to get upset when the series barely focused on Selena.

There are major difference’s you can spot between Selena and Christian Serratos. First, Serratos does not resemble Selena as much Jennifer Lopez did. I am not saying that the actress has to be a replica of Selena. On the other hand, it is very obvious to see the actress does not have the beautiful ethnic features that the late Latin singer had. In addition, the performances in the series are very boring. The actress did not even have the curvy body that Selena fans loved about her. We all know that Serratos will have to lip-sync Selena’s songs, but the performance energy was just not there. In the 1997 film ‘Selena’, Jennifer Lopez put on a splendid perforce while lip-syncing. It just seems that ‘Selena: The Series’ was a rushed job with a low budget.

The nine episodes, also called “Part 1”, is dull and lifeless. The only episode where I remember more than five scenes is the first one. I spent most of my time skipping parts to prevent falling asleep.

The show starts off portraying Selena and her families hardships. Viewers get to learn about the Quintanilla family depending on government assistance, sleeping on floors, and having no jobs to support the Quintanilla family dream. Abraham Quintanilla, portrayed by Ricardo Chavira, is the backbone of the family. He may be harsh, but he convinces his children to never give up on their dreams. Abraham Quintanilla has Selena and her siblings perform at restaurants and even senior homes for free.

While the series continues, viewers start to wonder about Abraham’s actions. He prevented his children from having a social life. A.B. Quintanilla(Gabriel Chavarria) breaks down to his father about his life. He cries about having no job, girlfriend, and no life. He had very strict rules for his daughters Selena(Christian Serratos) and Suzette(Noemí González).

Selena: The Series seems to focus more on A.B. and Abraham Quintanilla more than the focus of the series. Even though there will be no Selena without her family, Netflix can produce another series focusing on the Quintanilla men. The show follows A.B becoming a discouraged songwriter then evolving into a superstar songwriter. The series tends to focus on Selena’s sister as well. There is a scene where a fan comes up to Suzette telling her she is a huge inspiration. Suzette proceeds to get her drumming sticks to the young fan.

The wigs, performances, and the storyline leads me to give this series a C. I would still tell viewers to watch this series to keep Selena’s legacy alive.